Beach Bashes and Banter
by teatat
Summary: The only downside to Lizi's summer job, at the shore, is the restaurant's snobby owner. Maybe if Darcy had read Pride and Prejudice, he wouldn't be making the same mistakes as his namesake. Then again, Lizi has read it and still fails to consider there may be more to Darcy than her first impression. Nor does she recognize his growing attraction to her.
1. As if He Owns the Place

Lizi pushed her hair out of her face. Between the humidity and her hair being wet half the time anyway, it wasn't worth spending the money on a haircut until the end of summer.

Monica's voice came across Lizi's headphone's "We'll have a table for two ready in a few minutes."

"You know the party of eight is still waiting right?"

"Yea, we should have something soon, but this table isn't in a spot where we can push it together with others."

"OK, looks like the Allens are up next then." She activated the pager she had given to the Allens.

Lizi was on the door tonight. She preferred waitressing, but everyone had to take their turn on the door. It was easy work, you just had to get people's names, give them pagers, send them upstairs when their table was ready, and let the hostess know if you had a group larger than six waiting, but it meant a night without tips, and tonight it was hot and crowded. You got a little extra for it, but Lizi generally did better with tips, especially on a Friday. Friday nights were always busy, but usually, some of the people waited on the benches outside or even took a walk. Tonight it was pouring, and everyone was squeezed into the bar or the small foyer. She was really hoping Monica would be able to get the party of eight seated soon. They were taking up a lot of room.

With its large windows overlooking Island Beach State Park and excellent food, Fitzgigi's was a popular place to eat. It was also the best place to work on the Island. They paid more than anyone else, and the customers tipped well. She and her sister Jane were lucky to get jobs there. They had to come down three weeks ahead of the rest of their family and open the shore-house themselves, but from Lizi's point of view, that wasn't exactly a disadvantage.

The Allens hadn't shown up yet. Maybe their pager didn't go off, or they'd lost it, it happened sometimes, and they were an older couple.

"Allen?" Lizi called out, party of two?" When no one answered, she checked the bar but didn't find them in there either. Could they be waiting in their car? If so they could be anywhere, but she didn't want them to miss out on their table if she could help it. She borrowed an umbrella from one of the guests, stepped outside and looked around for a couple sitting in their car. They could be anywhere. She would never find them..no wait… there was a couple in a car across the street not too far down. Lizi was going to feel pretty silly if they didn't turn out to be the Allens but she ran across the street to ask them anyway. As she darted out from between the parked cars, the driver of a Volvo SUV slammed on the brakes and blared the horn. She jumped and ran the rest of the way across with her heart racing. _Jeese impatient much?_ She wasn't even that close! All he had to do was slow down.

As she knocked on the window of the couple she hoped were the Allens the

SUV pulled up and double parked in front of the restaurant, two guys and two women jumped out and ran to the door. A fifth guy moved into the driver's seat and drove off. Well, she would be with them in a minute they had a wait ahead of them anyway.

Mr. Allen rolled down the window.

"Are you the Allens, party of two?"

"Yes, that's us."

"Your table is ready, didn't your pager go off?"

"Oh!" Mrs. Allen opened her purse and pulled out the lobster-shaped pager. It was flashing. "You mean this, dear?"

"Yes, when it flashes, that means your table is ready." Lizi didn't bother to point out that she had already explained this.

"Oh dear, I thought it would say something."

Mr. Allen shook his head, "You put that in your purse? How were we suppose to see it go off?"

"I expected it to say something. She said it would say something."

"No, she said it would flash." He turned back to Lizi, "Sorry about that, thank you for coming to find us."

"No problem, I'll see you inside."

She ran back in to attend to the party that had just arrived; they were heading upstairs. She returned the umbrella with a quick thanks and rushed to call after the new arrivals. "Excuse me? I need your name."

The tall guy at the front of the group held up one of the pagers. "It's on your list."

"Well, I'm sorry, but you can't go up to the restaurant until your table is ready." What did he think all these people were doing down here?

"We aren't going to the restaurant."

The girl just behind him looked back at the others, rolled her eyes and said in a stage whisper, "She must be new."

The other girl gave a tittering laugh, and the four of them disappeared up the steps. Should she go after them? And do what; drag them back down the steps? Monica would just have to send them back down or get Lucas, the manager, to deal with them. She hoped she wouldn't get in trouble for letting them past her. Should she call Monica and warn her? By that time they would probably be up there already. She put her headset back on and checked her list, "Darcy –party of 5-pager #25" was written in at the end of the list." Who _does_ that? Maybe he had worked here once? He did seem to be familiar with the system, but if he had worked here, he should know better than to go upstairs.

By now the Allens had made their way inside. Mrs. Allen handed her the pager saying, "I'm sorry dear, I thought you said it would say something, but Mr. Allen tells me you said it would flash. I put it in my purse, so we didn't see it flashing."

Lizi took a deep breath to calm herself. She didn't want to take her annoyance at the tall jerk out on other customers, and Mrs. Allen seemed sweet even if she was a bit confused …and repetitive.

"It's fine. You can go ahead up. There's an elevator if you need it."

"Thank you." said Mr. Allen, "We can do the steps."

As they disappeared up the steps she could hear them talking, "It must have been Libby's where the pager spoke to us."

"No, that one flashed, they _all_ flash…"

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy looked in vain for a parking spot. "We should have gone to the house first; given time for the crowds to thin out."

Chad glanced at him from the passenger seat. "We don't have any food at the house yet, besides we still have to turn the water on and everything."

"That takes like five minutes. It would have been faster than coming here."

"I told you not to drink that ice tea."

"That has nothing to do with it. I just don't like crowds."

"Especially when you…"

Chad was interrupted by Darcy slamming the brakes and laying on the horn as a girl ran out into the street practically right in front of him. She didn't even acknowledge her mistake as she continued across. "What the _hell_? People don't even _look_ around here! They just step right out into the street!"

"She was cute, looks like one of yours."

"I hope Lucas would not have hired someone who doesn't have the sense to look both ways."

"Why don't you four get out up here, and I'll find a parking spot."

Darcy's heart was still racing from the near miss, "Yea, all right, are you sure you don't mind?"

"I'm the only one who didn't hydrate."

Darcy pulled up as close as he could get to the door, he was double parked, but it would only be for a minute. "You remember how to work the wipers? …and remember the break is more sensitive than you are used to."

"It's fine I've driven your car dozens of times."

"Very well, be careful."

Some people would have been insulted by this, but Chad answered genially, "I will, just get inside and catch your breath, I'll join you soon."

He followed Chad's advice and ran in followed by the rest of his friends, Chad's sister's Karo and Lois and Lois's boyfriend Herb. When they got inside, there was no one on the door, and he had to sign them in himself. Chad must have been right about the girl. She came back just as they were heading upstairs. Darcy gave her a brief reply, hurried up the steps and ducked quickly into the men's room at the top. He wasn't in a hurry because of the ice tea. He just wanted to gather his wits before anyone tried to make conversation with him.

Herb followed him into the restroom and used the urinal next to his. He wished he hadn't, but it wouldn't have been reasonable to ask him to wait outside or to expect him to use the child-size urinal just to leave a free one between them.

Darcy washed his hands, splashed cold water on his face and took several deep breaths.

"You alright, Darcy?"

"I'm fine. I'm just tired from the drive."

When he came out of the men's room, Lucas spotted him and came toward him smiling. "Darcy, I didn't know you were getting in tonight."

After a brief hesitation, he shook Lucas's outstretched hand, "We just got in. Is the canopy up?"

"Yes, but it will be pretty wet up there."

"That's fine. We'll talk later alright?"

Without waiting for an answer, he pushed through the "Employees Only" door, out to the deck and dashed up the steps to the roof. Herb must have stayed behind to wait for the girls. Good, it would give him a few minutes alone. He dropped into a chair, not caring that it was a little damp, and briefly rested his head in his hands. Most of the roof was wet, but there were a few semi-dry chairs under the center of the Canopy.

After a few minutes, Herb joined him, followed by Karo and Lois. Herb glanced at the wet chairs. "Not exactly the best night to be up here."

"You all can wait at the bar if you want to."

Karo pulled a tissue out of her purse and attempted to dry the chair next to Darcy. Then she pulled it closer and sat down. "Oh, no, it's _so_ much nicer to be up here all by ourselves."

"So _true_." Added Lois, as she did the same with the chair on Darcy's other side. They both sat closer to him than was necessary to stay out of the rain. Herb took a seat looking unhappy. Herb and Lois were "pre-engaged" whatever that meant. As far as Darcy could tell it meant Lois having Herb on her arm while still paying almost as much attention to Darcy as ever. He supposed to Herb it meant a job in her father's company one day.

.~.~.~.~.

An attractive man wearing a Princeton t-shirt entered and approached Lizi with a friendly grin. "I think the rest of my party is already here. Have you seen a tall man walking around as if he owns the place?"

Lizi smiled, "You must be the fifth member of the Darcy party."

"That's me. I was the designated parker."

"I'm afraid I can't tell you where they've gone. Mr. Darcy spat out something about not going to the restaurant, but they went upstairs and haven't come down. They couldn't have been seated."

"Oh, they probably went to the roof."

"The _roof_? Customers aren't allowed up there."

"Darcy is, he keeps some chairs up there. The thing is, he actually _does_ own the place. He's the 'Darcy' in Darcy enterprises; the company that owns Fitzgigi's."

"Seriously?" Now that she thought about it Lucas had said something the restaurant being owned by Darcy enterprises. Somehow she had never associated that with a real person.

"Cross my heart. Don't look so worried. I know Darcy makes a bad first impression, but he grows on you. He's a good guy. The only man I know who would rather be on a wet roof than in a crowded bar but a good guy." He smiled again and stuck out his hand, "My name is Chad Bartley."

She shook it. "Lizi Bennet."

Chad spoke with her a bit more asking her how long she'd been working at Fitzgigi's and how she liked it. Then he said, "I better get up there Darcy will worry what happened to me. Is Steve bartending tonight?"

"Yes."

"Great I'll see if I can charm a bottle of wine out of him before I go up. I'm sure Darcy didn't think of it. See you later Lizi."

Chad seemed nice, but Lizi was too distracted wondering how that Darcy jerk could be the owner and how she could be so unlucky as to get on his bad side already, to give him much thought.

Darcy didn't look much older than she was. Chad must have meant that this Darcy's _parents_ owned Darcy enterprises. He was just some spoiled rich kid who thought he didn't have to wait his turn and was allowed to hang out on the roof instead of mingling with ordinary people. She supposed she was lucky he put his name at the end of the list instead of the beginning. Satisfied with her own explanation Lizi set aside any worries about having made a less than favorable first impression herself.

Her headphones buzzed. "The table for eight is ready."

Finally!


	2. Darcy Party of Five

Darcy knew Chad would be stopping to talk to anyone and everyone, but he was still relieved when he finally made it to the roof. "Everything went OK with parking the car?"

"Yes," he said handing Darcy a bottle of wine and a stack of five plastic cups, "and the pretty new waitress managed to snag me these." With a flourish, he produced a plate full of appetizers.

"Bless you." Darcy took a crab puff and ate it then poured everyone some wine. "Pretty new waitress? You don't mean the girl on the door do you?"

"No, I should have said the _beautiful_ new waitress, Jane. The one with the long blond hair pulled back in a French braid."

Darcy shook his head, "I didn't notice her. But you managed to make her acquaintance on your way up the stairs?"

"Lucas introduced us when I stopped to say hi to him." Of course, he had.

Chad took a seat and told them all about the new waitress. She and her family had a house in Seaside Park, she and her sister had jobs here for the summer, the rest of her family would be arriving in a few days. She had four younger sisters including the one who worked here…

Darcy was only half listening, but there was something about Chad's chatter that relaxed him. The wine and the food helped too. Chad always seemed to do just the right thing to make him feel better without making a big deal out of it or even indicating he was aware Darcy was upset. For all that he was more than two years younger, and Darcy still tended to think of him as the kid he needed to watch out for, Darcy knew he would never have gotten through the last five years without Chad. Even if Chad's flaming extroversion was unfathomable to him, and his tendency to trust everyone often gave Darcy cause for concern, he found his friendship invaluable.

.~.~.~.~.

By the time Lizi got down to Darcy's name on her list, the crowd had thinned out. Monica buzzed her to let her know there was a table for six available.

"There's a party of five on the roof. Will the pager work up there?"

"Darcy's here?" She actually sounded happy about it.

"Yea, should I have told you?"

"No. He hates a lot of attention. The pager should work, but if his party doesn't come down soon, I'll check on them. Is Chad with him?"

"Yes." Lizi smiled thinking maybe Monica was only happy about Darcy because she hoped Chad would be with him. That would make sense. Chad seemed nice.

Finally, it was time to put up the closed sign and head upstairs to help reset for the morning. Technically Lizi's shift was done at closing time, one of the few benefits of being on the door, but she usually stayed to help out at the end. It got everybody done that much sooner, and she had to wait for Jane anyway.

Only a few tables were still finishing their meals. Darcy's group was one of them, but Chad wasn't sitting with his party. He was talking to Jane while she cleared tables, no; he was _helping_ Jane clear tables. It certainly hadn't taken Chad long to notice Jane.

Jane smiled to see her. "Lizi you met Chad already downstairs?"

"Yes."

"Good to see you again Lizi," he greeted her as if they were old friends. "Jane's been telling me all about your family."

"Well, don't hold it against us."

He grinned, "Come on I'll introduce you to my sisters."

"Oh, I don't want to interrupt their meal."

"No, no, we are just finishing up, they will want to meet you."

Lizi doubted that, but Chad's enthusiasm was hard to resist. She followed him reluctantly over to the table. Now she had a chance to study the party more closely. The women and the third man looked like they had stepped out of an ad for summer clothing or fun at the Jersey Shore. Darcy looked like he had come from a business meeting and barely bothered to loosen his tie.

"Lizi this is my sister Lois," Chad said indicating one of the women, she gave Lizi a forced smile and returned to her phone where she was looking at clothes, "Her boyfriend-soon-to-be-fiancé Herb," Herb gave her a brief nod and returned to his desert, "my sister Karo…"

Karo actually shook her hand in a way that almost made Lizi expect her to say something like, " _Charmed_ _I'm sure_ " but what she said was, "That's Karo with a K."

"… and you met Darcy."

Darcy looked up from his phone in surprise, "She did?"

And she was worried about having made a bad first impression? Apparently, she hadn't made any. He could have at least tried to pretend he remembered her and had Chad fill him in later. It was what any halfway polite person would have done, but Chad seemed to take Darcy's rudeness in stride, "Lizi was on the door when we first came in. She's Jane's sister. You remember."

"Ah," he looked her up and down, _creep_ , "You shouldn't leave when you are on the door Lizi." He finished the text message he had been typing and hit send.

"I had gone to look for two of the guests. Their table was ready, and they didn't seem to be coming."

"Did their pager malfunction?"

What difference did that make? "No, they just…misunderstood how it worked."

"I see. Well, in that case, I appreciate your making the extra effort to find them, but in the future, please be more careful about crossing the street. It isn't worth risking your life to assure that customers are seated in a timely manner."

 _What_?

Her confusion must have shown on her face for Darcy continued, "I almost hit you on our way in."

"So you have remembered me after all, Mr. Darcy."

"It's just Darcy. I tend to remember those I almost kill."

He said it so gravely she couldn't help but laugh, "It was hardly life-threatening. You were three car lengths away at least."

"I disagree; to my mind, it was more like three inches."

"Well," Chad interjected, "we must allow for difference of perspective. There was no harm done, and I'm sure in the future Lizi will remember to look both ways in spite of her work ethic." He winked at Lizi as he said it.

Karo plastered on a smile, "So, is that Lizzy with a 'y' or Lizzie with an 'ie'?"

"Just L-i-z-i."

"What an _interesting_ spelling, short and to the point."

"I guess." What was this girl's obsession with how names were spelled?

Darcy looked at his phone. "We ought to get going soon. We still have to open the house, and I have some work to do tonight."

It sounded like she was dismissed. She resisted the urge to curtsy before walking away. Herb looked surprised and started shoveling his desert into his mouth as fast as he could.

"Just let me finish my coffee." Chad said then looking at her added, "We'll see you soon Lizi. Welcome to an exciting summer career at Fitzgigi's."

"Thanks," Lizi smiled and went to help reset. Chad made it impossible to stay angry. That must be why Darcy kept him around.

As she walked away, she could hear Karo saying, "If you didn't feel the need to talk to _every_ one you would be done your coffee already."

Lizi was setting out the breakfast condiments as Darcy's party rose to leave. Lucas was talking to Darcy, telling him how nice it was to have him back, etc. As they passed Lizi Darcy glanced at her and said, "Lucas, tell Lizi to do something about her hair. It's unprofessional for it to be falling in her face like that."

.~.~.~.~.

As the five of them left the restaurant, Karo considered her next move. She was determined that this summer she would finally make Will Darcy see her as a sexy, available, woman instead of as Chad's little sister. Lois, though she still flirted with Will, seemed to have given up on him and settled for Herb, but Karo would never settle. Of course, she dated other guys during the school year, but she always broke up with them in time for summer in order to concentrate on Will. Not an easy task since it was almost impossible to get his attention, even with their families spending summers at the shore together. Ever since Karo had gotten old enough to see Will as potential boyfriend material, he had been keeping a certain distance from her. When his parents died four years ago, she'd hoped he would turn to her for support. It would have been the perfect opportunity for him to depend on, and gradually develop romantic feelings toward, her, but he had responded coldly to any attempt she made to comfort him. Instead of crying on her shoulder, he worked with his advisor at Princeton to graduate early and spent all his time studying (even in the summer) or at Darcy enterprises learning what he needed to know to run the company. Since graduating, he was always working remotely. The free time he did have was almost entirely devoted to his sister, who he was annoyingly attached to, but his sister wasn't with him this year. This summer was her chance. She only wondered whether she should take some time to try to ingratiate herself to him strike quickly with a bold move, like showing up in his room in sexy lingerie.

Chad pulled out Darcy's keys, "Want me to drive?"

"No, I'm fine now."

Chad tossed Darcy the keys, and they climbed into the SUV and headed to their house at Neatherly beach. It was on the other end of the island, past Seaside Park, Seaside Heights and Ortley Beach, but traffic was light by now, and the island was not long. They would get home quickly, and Karo knew Darcy was probably looking forward to being alone in his room at the top of the house.

Chad was in an exceptionally good mood, even for Chad. "It's really nice to be back and see everyone at the restaurant again, and so many of our acquaintances were there for dinner as well."

"You certainly seemed to enjoy yourself," said Darcy. "I would prefer to eat our meal in peace our first night, but it is impossible. The number of our acquaintances here seems to grow larger every year."

"Yes, that's what I like about the shore. It's a small community, and yet one is always meeting new people. Do you know that Jane and Lizi have been coming to Seaside Park every summer since Jane was six years old? And yet we never met them until now!"

"Astonishing," said Darcy dryly.

Chad continued as if the others were as interested in this topic as he was. "Jane is very nice and _so_ beautiful. She could be a fashion model or an actress. I think even _you_ will have to admit she's attractive, Darcy."

Karo held her breath waiting for Darcy's reply. So far the only comfort in Darcy not paying her much attention was that he didn't seem to take much notice of women in general, but she couldn't be confident that wouldn't change.

"She is very pretty, but she smiles too much."

Karo leaned forward, "I thought Lucas mentioned _two_ pretty new waitresses. I suppose he meant Lizi as the second, but I didn't see anything remarkable about _her_."

"Neither did I but I have never liked freckles." said Lois, "Did you find her attractive Will?"

"How could I notice anything beyond her carelessness and her hair flying in every direction?"

Karo would have been happier if he'd said she was not at all pretty but with this reply she was forced to be satisfied.

"It is only a few freckles across her nose!" Chad's voice rose in a tone of surprise, "I found them endearing."

Karo didn't reply. She was too busy taking a mental inventory of the lingerie she had packed and considering what would be best for Will to see her in for the first time. The black teddy with the red lace was the sexiest, but the cream negligee with the pale pink roses was very pretty and clung in all the right places while still leaving some mystery. Plus she had the high-heel feather slippers to match, and they made her legs look _amazing_.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi's friend Carla joined her and Jane on the beach the next morning. "I heard you met _Will Darcy_ last night." Carla's brother Lucas was the manager of Fitzgigi's. They lived in Seaside Park year round.

" _That's_ his first name?" Lizi asked, "Who, if their last name is Darcy, actually _chooses_ to name their kid William?"

"You have a problem with that Lizi Bennet?"

"That's different. My father named us _ironically_."

"OK, but aside from his name, gorgeous right?"

"Meh, he could be if he smiled once in a while." Lizi went on to tell Carla about her encounter with Will Darcy. She had been annoyed with him at the time, but she delighted in anything ridiculous and told the story in a lively manner that had her friend and sister laughing, especially at her impressions of Darcy. Their responses were typical of their personalities.

"Normally I would think that was rude," said Carla, "but he has every right to go wherever he wants in a place he _owns_ without stopping to explain himself. Plus Darcy must be so used to being recognized he probably never considered that you didn't know who he was."

"My asking for his name ought to have been a clue. He just blew me off, like I was nobody like he was swatting at a fly." Lizi did an impression of a fly and then acted out an exaggerated death scene. "Bzzzt…arrghh!"

Jane smiled at her sister's antics. "Maybe he was just stressed from the drive down. Chad said there had been an accident on the Parkway. He said it looked like no one was hurt but they were stuck in traffic a long time."

"Chad was stuck in the same traffic, and _he_ managed to be polite enough to explain who they were and where they were going."

"Maybe Darcy was in a hurry to get the restroom."

Lizi shook her head. Jane _always_ gave people the benefit of the doubt and could usually come up with a plausible explanation.

"How long does it take to say, 'I'm the owner, and we're going to the roof'? No longer than what he _did_ say. Plus if he had a problem with my hair he should have just _said_ so to my face, not passive-aggressively when he was sure I would hear him."

Carla turned her attention to Jane, "I heard _Chad_ was talking to you a long time."

"Chad is very nice. He spoke to everyone who works there and too many of the other customers."

Carla answered in a singsong tone, "But not as long as he was talking to _you_!"

Jane actually blushed. A lot of guys made a point of talking to Jane, but she didn't usually blush when someone teased her about it. She had mentioned to Lizi on the way home how nice Chad was. She had also given Lizi other information about Chad. He was a senior at Princeton majoring in Environmental Engineering. He and his sisters had grown up spending summers at the shore with the Darcys at Neatherly beach (Neatherly Beach was the _rich_ end of the island). Chad's family owned the bottom unit of the house, and the Darcys the top. Chad's sisters were fraternal twins, only a bit more than a year younger than he was, and also at Princeton. Karo was majoring in French and Italian and Lois in Music History. Now that Lizi thought about it, either Chad was a super fast talker, or Carla had a point.

Carla must have noticed the blush too and decided to be merciful. Her next question was to Lizi, "So, what are you going to do with your hair?"

"The same thing I always do. Just because his parents own the company that owns Fitzgigi's doesn't mean he can tell me what to do with my hair."

"His parents are dead Lizi. They died four years ago. _He_ owns the company."

" _Seriously_?"

"Why would I lie?"

"I don't know, to make me feel like crap for badmouthing an orphan?" To be honest, she did feel kind of bad about it now.

Jane was full of sympathy, "That is so sad. He must have been very young when his parents died."

"He had just turned 19."

"Then we must make allowances for him because of his grief."

Lizi would have liked to lighten the mood with a witty reply but she held her tongue, and they all sat quietly watching the ocean and a group of children playing on the beach. After they had been quiet for some time, Carla said, "Jane, I meant to ask you if you are student teaching next semester."

"Yes, I'm looking forward to it. I'll be at a School in East Windsor, a mixed first and second-grade at first and then a fourth-grade class. I've already met the teachers I'll be working with."

"East Windsor, won't that make it hard for you and Lizi to share a car?"

"We'll figure it out," Lizi said quickly. She knew Jane was concerned about inconveniencing her. The only way it could work was if Lizi scheduled her classes around dropping Jane off in the morning and picking her up after school, or if Jane dropped Lizi off on campus super early. Either way, Lizi would have to get up at an ungodly hour, and Jane knew her too well for Lizi to convince her she didn't mind.

Jane spoke more about student teaching, and the three of them continued to talk about school and other subjects that had nothing to do with men.

* * *

 _A/N: Usually what I enjoy about writing JAFF is trying to give it the "feel" of JA's writing, but I've always enjoyed modernizations and decided to take a shot at one. As you've probably gathered, I'm writing in a world where the original book exists. I'm not sure if that will work as I'm envisioning it, but I wanted to give it a try. I thought about holding off on posting this story until summer, but I was eager to start getting it out there and maybe some of you will enjoy some summer fun in the middle of January. Another thing I'm trying is setting most of the story in a place that is as Barnegat Peninsula would be if it were an Island with "Neatherly Beach" at one end instead of Lavallette etc. and a few more fictional places (like Fitzgigi's where Berkley's use to be.) If people who know the area find it confusing to have it part real-place part not, let me know._

 _Anyway, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed the first couple of chapters._


	3. The Boardwalk

Lizi biked over to CVS to pick up a few things before it was time to get ready for work. Her main errand, since it turned out Darcy truly was her boss, was to find something for her hair. As she scanned the section of hair accessories, she spotted… no…. Who even knew they sold these here? It was perfect, absolutely perfect! She picked up a set of bobby pins to complete the look and left the store smiling.

"Lizi" Jane said to her a short time later as they were getting ready to go, "Are you sure you should wear that?"

"Darcy wanted professional. He gets professional!"

"Yes but…I could try braiding it for you."

"Do you not agree that this is professional? Not one hair will be out of place."

Jane sighed but made no further argument, and they pulled out their bikes to head to work. They had taken the car the night before, because of the rain, but she and Jane usually left their car parked and rode bikes or walked as much as possible down here. Their Fitzgigi's uniform was a short black denim skirt and a white T-shirt with the Figi's logo on it. They biked over in shorts and changed into the skirt when they got there.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy and his friends arrived for dinner toward the end of the evening, and the hostess sat them quickly. They were not in Lizi's section, but she walked by their table, on her way to the kitchen, with a satisfied smile.

Chad's sisters immediately broke into poorly concealed snickers. Darcy himself was very surprised, "What is she _wearing_?"

"It looks like a hairnet," Chad answered him.

He could see it was a hairnet, a thick black hairnet held in place with at least two dozen black bobby pins."Yes, but why would she wear a hairnet?"

"Well, you did say to do something professional with her hair."

"She could not possibly have thought I meant a hairnet."

"I agree."

Chad seemed amused, but Darcy could not see why. Obviously, if he wanted waitresses wearing hairnets, it would have applied to everyone. He decided to clear up the matter and approached her as she was clearing the table after her last customers. "Lizi, I think there has been a misunderstanding."

"Has there?"

"Yes, the other night I told Lucas to have you do something with your hair."

"There has been no misunderstanding. I got the message, and as you can see, I've done something professional. What could be more professional than a hair net?" Her eyes sparkled as she replied and she looked as if she were repressing a smile.

"Yes that may be but…" _it looks absurd_ "I only meant to pull it back somehow so you wouldn't always be pushing it out of your face. Like, in a ponytail or something."

"Oh I see, so a ponytail would be acceptable."

"Yes."

"Any particular kind of ponytail?"

"No, whatever you want."

"I believe I understand. Thank you for clarifying. Mr. Darcy."

"It's just Darcy."

"Thank you for clarifying, Darcy; next time I work, I will wear a ponytail."

"Good, well, goodnight then." Why did he feel like he was missing something?

.~.~.~.~.

After Darcy walked away, Carla came up to Lizi and hissed, "You shouldn't tease Darcy. It isn't professional."

Lizi gave her the sweetest smile she could manage. "I am not teasing him, Carla. He has explained what he wants me to do with my hair and I will now do _exactly_ as he asks."

Carla looked at her suspiciously then changed the subject, "You really don't think he's attractive?"

Lizi shrugged, "I guess he's just not my type."

"Right, you like short bald guys with pot bellies and spindly arms."

Lizi only laughed.

"Come on, if you had never met him and just saw a picture you wouldn't think he was good looking?"

Lizi answered in a tone of false pretentiousness, "I don't think it is very professional for us to be discussing the owner this way."

Carla only shook her head and walked away. Lizi stole a glance at Darcy. He no longer looked like he'd just come from a business meeting. Tonight he was wearing docksides, khaki shorts, and an untucked, white, button-down shirt, rolled up at the sleeves with the top buttons undone. His clothes fit as if they had been made for him. Maybe they had been. Carla had a point, but it didn't matter what Lizi would think of his appearance if she had never met him. She _had_ met him, and that was that.

.~.~.~.~.

"Did you straighten Lizi out about her hair?" Chad asked Darcy as they drove home.

"I think so, that is, I believe I explained my expectations clearly, how she might choose to understand what I said is a different matter."

"Perhaps," said Karo, "now that you have seen Lizi, without the distraction of her hair flying around, you find her attractive after all."

"I think that Lizi is the sort of woman whose lively manner could give one the impression she is attractive without her actually being so. When one studies her features, it is only her eyes that are striking. Her nose is not quite the right shape for her face. Her smile is a little lopsided. She wears a shade of lip-gloss that does not compliment her complexion, and her tan is uneven. Her hips are so narrow that her figure, while light and pleasing, is straight and her skirt doesn't quite stay in place. Also, the henna tattoo above her ankle is half worn away so that it no longer looks like a butterfly."

"Well no need to hold back, Darcy," was Chad's laughing reply, "Surely one of her back teeth is chipped, or there is a blemish behind her left ear you failed to mention."

"I noticed no such blemish."

Karo could not share her brother's amusement. While gratified to hear Darcy denigrate Lizi's appearance she was also struck by what a careful study he had made of her and some instinct seemed to warn her of danger. "We should go grocery shopping tomorrow," she said, "I can cook for us at home for a change."

"We should wait until Monday." Darcy replied, "The grocery stores are always packed on the weekends, plus there will be traffic on the bridge."

"Maybe we can just pick up some burgers or something at the little deli on the corner," said Lois, "It's always nice to grill on the deck."

So Lois had noticed Darcy's interest as well. Karo knew her sister didn't really prefer grilling burgers to going out. But was Lois helping her or competing with her? It would be easy enough for Lois to break off her pre-engagement if Darcy took an interest in her.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi was almost sorry to have Sunday off when her family arrived. The cape-cod-style shore-house was not large and Lydia and Kat's arrival, with their luggage and quarrels, made it feel even smaller. Lizi and Jane managed to share their upstairs bedroom without argument, taking two and a half drawers and a half closet each and storing extra clothes in suitcases below the bed or hanging them over a chair in a somewhat orderly manner. Lydia and Kat's room looked like an explosion of bathing suits and accessories. Because of the placement of the stairs and powder room, Lydia and Kat had a bit more space than their older sisters. A few years ago, in a moment of weakness, Lizi had let Jane talk her into giving their sisters the bigger room in the hope of restoring some peace, but it hadn't helped. It felt like not a day went by that the two of them weren't arguing over drawer and closet space.

Their parents had a bedroom on the first floor, and so did Mary. Mary's room was so small that she could barely get around her bed and the closet was so shallow that her things could only be hung on pegs, but it had a large built-in bookcase above the bed, and with that, she was most pleased. The advantages of the house were an open living room kitchen area, a large screened in porch with a view of the bay, a spacious outdoor shower, and of course the fact that it was at the shore.

As Lizi helped unpack her parent's car and tried to ignore her youngest sisters' raised voices, she wondered, not for the first time, why her parents had ever thought a five-drawer-chest was a good idea for these two. Taking a deep breath, she picked up a bag Kat had forgotten, brought it upstairs, and dropped it on Kat's bed. Kat and Lydia had temporally stopped arguing and were excitedly discussing how they could rearrange their room to give them more space. Given the slope of the ceiling, Lizi doubted they would find a better arrangement, but she was glad for the brief reprieve. Glancing at the pile on Lydia's bed Lizi noticed a scrunchie and picked it up saying, "Lydia, could I borrow this?"

Lydia smiled, "Cute right? Sure go ahead!" Lydia might be selfish about closet space, but she was always generous about letting her sisters borrow her things. She usually bought more accessories than she could reasonably hope to use.

"Thanks, this will be perfect."

Jane had worked the breakfast and lunch shift, so they were all home for dinner. After dinner, Kat and Lydia were eager to get to the boardwalk and Jane, and Lizi agreed to go as well. Technically all of Seaside-Park had a boardwalk along the dunes, but everyone understood that "going to the boardwalk" meant Seaside-Heights where the amusements were. Mary claimed she would rather stay home and read. Lizi suspected she just needed a break from the younger two.

They had not been at the boardwalk long when they ran into what Lizi had come to think of as "Darcy's party" Chad and Herb were playing a game where they tried to shoot ducks with a stream of water, while the other three stood by watching. Karo was wearing high heeled strappy sandals and had a hold on Darcy's arm as if she was afraid he might make a run for it. From the look on Darcy's face, she might have been right.

Chad jumped up to greet them letting his shot go wild, and the rest of his turn expire. Introductions were made all around. Herb barely acknowledged them with a nod still concentrating on his game. Chad made a point of asking Lydia and Kat about themselves, but they quickly lost interest when they spotted a group of lifeguards they had met last summer.

"Look," Lydia squealed interrupting Chad mid-sentence, "its Danny and Cham, quick Kat we'll lose them!" The two of them darted off without even saying goodbye.

Karo and Lois exchanged a significant look, but Chad only smiled, "Enthusiastic aren't they?"

Lizi was more embarrassed for Jane's sake than for her own. "Yea, sorry about that."

"I'm sure my sisters enjoyed meeting all of you." Jane added, "They haven't seen their friends since last summer."

Lizi would have liked to make an excuse to leave as well but she knew if she did Jane would feel obligated to go with her. For Jane's sake, she would endure Darcy and the rest of the entourage.

Herb blasted the last of his ducks and paid for another game. "Herb's trying to win one of the big stuffed animals," Chad explained, "he's really good at this game." You had to win several games in a row to get the good prizes.

"You seemed to be doing very well yourself before we interrupted you," said Lizi.

Darcy spoke for the first time, "There is no knowing whether Chad is good at any of these games. No sooner does he start one than someone comes along he recognizes, and he stops to talk."

"Then he is unproven at boardwalk games but has proven himself a good friend."

Chad laughed, "You have turned what my friend said into a compliment, but I'm sure he didn't mean it that way. He thinks I ought to finish what I start."

"Does Darcy put more value on games than on friendship?"

"You'd have to ask Darcy."

"I said no such thing," Darcy replied, "I merely fail to understand the purpose of investing in a game if he is not going to have the enjoyment of playing it."

"Perhaps Chad finds more enjoyment in speaking to a friend than he does in playing a game."

"Perhaps he does. But then why start the game?"

"How is Chad to know before starting a game that a friend will come along? Would you have him refrain from games entirely on the off chance of his meeting a friend? Or is your opinion that he should stick doggedly to his choice even if he has the opportunity for something better?"

"You choose to call a friend what I only identified as an acquaintance. Perhaps if we discuss the degree of friendship that must exist before Chad's actions can be considered reasonable we will find our opinions are not so far off as they seem."

Before Lizi could reply, Chad said, "…or maybe I only need the right motivation to keep me playing. If one of you," he indicated Jane and Lizi, "would like me to try to win you a stuffed animal I will give it my best effort, and I believe even Darcy will be impressed by my dedication."

He puffed out his chest striking a mock-heroic pose that made his sisters roll their eyes while Jane and Lizi laughed. They thanked him but declined his offer and Herb started another game.

"What about you Will?" asked Lois, "Aren't you going to try to win a stuffed animal for Karo?"

"I don't see what girls find appealing about a man winning them a stuffed animal."

Actually, neither did Lizi, at least not since she was 14, but she answered, "It probably goes back to the caveman days with men bringing home their kills. We still have the instinct where it no longer has a practical application."

Darcy raised an eyebrow and looked about to reply when Karo said, "Well, _I_ think these games are silly. If a man is going to spend money on _me_ , I'd rather he buy me something _nice_."

Lois, who would probably be receiving a large stuffed animal any moment, glared at her. "Well, _I_ think stuffed animals are fun, and a guy can spend money on more than one thing."

"If I were inclined to spend money on Karo," said Darcy to Lois, "it would be for a new pair of shoes to replace the pair she is wearing tonight."

Karo pouted, "You don't like my shoes? I thought they were cute." She turned her foot to better show off her shoes.

"I would prefer a pair that is easier on my arm than my eyes. Lizi's shoes are cute, but she can still walk without support."

He was comparing their _shoes_? Maybe he was gay. He dressed well enough to be gay.

Karo's tone was full of false sweetness, "Maybe Lizi can tell you where she got hers."

Lizi glanced down at the flip-flops with little bows she was wearing. They _were_ cute… but still. "Walgreens," she said, "but I got them on sale last September. I don't know if they have them again this year."

"Well, I can't wear _that_ kind anyway."

Jane shot Lizi a warning look before she could ask if it was flip-flops or out-of-season bargains that Karo couldn't wear.

Just then Lydia and Kat returned with Danny, Cham, and another Life Guard in tow. Lizi wasn't usually one to be captivated by appearances, but this third guy could only be described as _totally hot._

"Jane, me n Kat are going to go hang out with Danny and his friends."

Lizi was immediately suspicious. "Hang out _where_?"

"At their house."

"Define 'their.'"

Lydia rolled her eyes, "A bunch of the lifeguards rented a house for the summer."

"Right, you aren't doing that."

"I didn't say they were _all_ men."

"Still not happening."

"You aren't the boss of us!"

"Lydia," Jane's tone was gentle, "You know Mom and Dad expected Lizi and me to keep an eye on you and I have to agree with Lizi. It isn't a good idea."

"We don't need a _babysitter_ I'm almost 16!"

"…and I'm 17!" Added Kat in a whinny voice, "If anything I can watch out for both of us."

"Mom and Dad wouldn't care. Mom _likes_ Danny."

Lizi pulled out her phone, "Fine, I'll call Dad, and we'll ask him if you can go."

Lydia looked ready to argue, but the hot guy intervened. "Lydia, it's not a big deal, we can just hang out here. How about we go to Lucky Leo's?" With a smile for Lizi, he added, "We can _all_ go."

"Alright, what _ever_." Lydia rolled her eyes.

Lizi returned the hot guy's smile with a sense of relief. To be honest, she knew her father would say "no," but she wasn't sure he would do anything much by way of enforcing his "no" if Lydia ignored him.

Just then the hot guy glanced away from Lizi, and whatever caught his attention made him turn bright red. Lizi followed his gaze. Will Darcy had literally turned white. He was clenching his fists and was shaking. The phrase, "if looks could kill" took on a whole new meaning.

The hot guy seemed to recover first and gave Darcy a brief nod. Darcy pried Karo from his arm, said, "I'll meet you all back at the car," turned, and walked away.

Chad looked startled for a moment and then said, "Oh, uh, just before you got here Darcy was saying he needed to get some salt-water-taffy for his sister. He probably went to do that." Then with a quick glance in the direction Darcy had taken, he added, "I probably should check on…uh, go help him. He might have trouble picking out flavors." With a smile for Jane, he said how nice it was to see them and wished them goodnight. Was Chad Darcy's friend or his assistant? Why did he make excuses for him?

Herb won his final game, and the guy in the booth handed him a panda that was almost as tall he was. He and Chad's sisters looked oddly lost on their own. They quickly made their excuses and said goodnight. As they walked away, Lizi could just make out Karo saying, "He has a lot of nerve coming _here_." Karo looked like she was having some trouble walking but was doing better than one might have expected from the way she had been clinging to Darcy's arm. Lois was half buried under the stuffed panda. You had to wonder at the gallantry of a guy who would win a woman a panda but then didn't carry it for her.

Lizi and her sisters headed over to Lucy-Leos with the three lifeguards. Though for Jane's sake she regretted the loss of Chad, Lizi was happy with the change. As they walked, the hot guy came up next to her and said quietly, "I thought your sisters were older. I wouldn't have let my friends invite them if I knew Lydia was fifteen."

"I'm sure they did their best to give you that impression. Thanks for having my back."

"No problem…"

"Lizi."

"No problem Lizi. I'm John Wicks."

.~.~.~.~.

The first night Darcy met Lizi he hadn't taken much notice of her and last night he noticed her only to point out her flaws. But when they ran into her and her sisters on the boardwalk he was forced to admit there was something appealing about her. Aside from Darcy's top executives, most people accepted his opinions without question. It was rare to find a woman who would engage him in intelligent debate. Of course, she couldn't believe there was anything admirable in Chad being so easily distracted. She was only playing devil's advocate. If she was doing so to get his attention at least, her approach was a novel one. All this made him wonder whether the hair-net had been a genuine misunderstanding or she had purposely misconstrued his instructions. The thought that she might make herself look silly just to mess with him was an intriguing one.

Equally intriguing was her comment about stuffed animals and cave-men. Somehow it had him imagining grabbing her by the hair and pulling her back to his cave to present her with a fresh kill. She had the hair for it. It was windblown and looked somewhat wild. Now that he wasn't concerned about it getting into people's food he couldn't help acknowledging that he preferred it to her older sister's neat braid or the Bartley sisters' overdone styles. In spite of all the flaws, he had noted in her features their overall effect was pleasing. She wore only a touch of make-up, and there was an uncalculated naturalness to her appearance.

When her younger sisters returned with a group of lifeguards, Darcy watched her push her hair out of her face and tuck it behind her ears. He studied her expression as she contended with her younger sisters, not paying much attention to what was being said until…

"Lydia, it's not a big deal, we can just hang out here. How about we go to Lucky Leo's? We can _all_ go."

He knew that voice! He tore his gaze from Lizi. He locked eyes with John Wicks.

 _John Wicks!_ At the sight of him, Darcy's fists clenched. His blood pounded in his ears as he forced himself not to throttle the man. It was suddenly stifling here on the part of the boardwalk where the amusements blocked the breeze. He had to get away! Barely aware of what he was doing he pried himself from Karo's clutch and moved quickly through the crowd. He reached the end of the amusements. He ran down the ramp to the beach. He collapsed on the sand and sat trying to force himself to take deep breaths of the fresh ocean air.

A short time later Chad found him and sat down next to him. After sitting quietly for a time, he handed Darcy a bottle of water. Darcy drank half of it down in one gulp. "Thanks."

"Want me to drive home?"

"Yes, thank you, just give a minute."

"Take as much time as you need."

"Why is he here? He knows we come here."

"I don't know. Maybe it has nothing to do with you being here."

"I felt as if I would kill him if I didn't get away."

"You did well to get away from him."

After sitting, without talking, a short while longer Darcy handed Chad his keys. "Ok, let's go."

Chad patted him on the back, and they headed for the car. Chad knew when not to talk, and Darcy was more grateful for this quality than he could hope to express.

* * *

 _A/N: Usually I won't get new chapters up this quickly but SNOW DAY! Plus I especially enjoyed this chapter and was eager to post it. As you've probably gathered, I'm not going for a strict scene by scene just trying to capture the essence of the characters and their to all those who reviewed, favorited, and followed!  
_


	4. Happy Birthday

Lizi was careful not to spend much money on the boardwalk, but she played a couple of games of skee-ball with John Wicks. She was burning with curiosity about what had passed between him and Darcy but, even if Lucky Leo's had not been too loud for more than the most basic conversation, there was no polite way to find out. She discussed it later with Jane once they were alone in their room but though Jane would have defended either or both, had they appeared to be wrong, she could no more explain their behavior than Lizi could.

"I'm sorry," said Lizi, "That you didn't get to talk more with Chad."

"It would have been nice if he could have stayed longer, but we talked for quite a while when he came to breakfast this morning. It wasn't busy, so there was time to talk."

"He came in alone?"

"Yes."

Lizi smiled to herself in the darkness.

"Lizi, I know what you're thinking, but there are lots of reasons he might have been eating breakfast alone, and he couldn't have known I was on this morning. I never told him my schedule."

"True and there's no way a man whose _best friend owns the restaurant_ could get your schedule if you didn't tell him, totally a coincidence."

"Lizi."

" _Yes_?"

"Go to sleep."

.~.~.~.~.

Monday night Darcy's party didn't come in giving Lizi reason to hope that they didn't eat there every night. Maybe now that they were settled in she wouldn't see so much of them. Maybe there was no point in doing silly things with her hair just to mess with Darcy, but she would give it another night or two. Tuesday night Darcy's party was back.

When Lizi walked by with a slightly off-center ponytail, sticking up on the top of her head and held by a furry scrunchie in neon rainbow colors, Darcy's only reaction was to raise one eyebrow a fraction of an inch and press his lips together. Anyone not carefully studying his expression would have thought he hadn't reacted at all. But an astute observer might also notice that he had chosen a seat where he had a good view of Lizi's section and that his eyes often followed her graceful movements as she took orders and delivered plates of food to her customers. Darcy also noticed her interactions with her customers. She seemed almost to have a sense of when they wanted her, moving quickly to fill any requests without popping up too often and interrupting their conversations. She talked and laughed and drew smiles from all but the most determined to be unhappy.

.~.~.~.~.

On Wednesday Darcy pulled into CVS on their way to dinner, "I just need to run in here quickly, I won't be long."

He opened all the windows. Apparently, he expected the others to wait in the car. While they waited, Karo briefly imagined that he was buying condoms to use with _her_ , but that was too unlikely a fantasy for her to indulge in it for long. In spite of her flattery, her sexy outfits and her morning yoga in the middle of the Living Room, Will had not shown the slightest interest. She only hoped he wasn't buying her flip-flops.

.~.~.~.~.

Once again Darcy approached Lizi as she was clearing her final table when most of the customers were gone.

"Lizi, I haven't failed to notice how precisely you complied with my request regarding your hair. I appreciate the effort, and I have something for you." He handed her small gift bag.

She took it with a look of surprise and confusion, but comprehension dawned on her face when she saw what was inside. "A hair clip."

"Yes, an octopus-clip, in spite of your having followed my instructions to the letter, I can't help feel there is still something to be desired, and see?" He pointed to a tag attached to the clip, "It has instructions."

"Yes, I see… there is no way I could reasonably misinterpret the use of this hair clip. Thank you, Mr. Darcy, you are most kind."

Darcy was careful not to smile until he turned away. He was looking forward to finding out what her next move would be.

.~.~.~.~.

Karo was seething! He gave Lizi a _gift_? _That_ was why he had stopped at CVS? OK, it was only a hair clip, but Karo spent _hours_ working her hair into attractive styles and he never so much as complimented her. Lizi made herself look idiotic, and he bought her a present?

Well, Karo was just going to have to up her game. She was convinced that if she could seduce Will once she could hang on to him. Subtlety hadn't worked. It was time to do something drastic.

.~.~.~.~.

As Jane and Lizi sat eating breakfast before heading to the beach the next morning their mother came in and poured herself some coffee, "You both still have off tonight right?"

"Yes, mom."

"And Marry works till four…." Mary had a job at one of the beach entrances checking beach badges and stopping people from bringing coolers and other contraband on to the beach. It didn't pay well, but it gave her a lot of time to read.

"I want you all to leave the beach no later than four, so we can get to Fitzgigi's early. Your father is working a half-day and then driving down for a long weekend so he should be here in plenty of time."

Lizi was about to take a bite but paused, " _Seriously?_ You made us take a night off from work so we can eat at work?"

"Don't be silly Lizi, its Lydia's birthday and that's where she wants to eat."

Lizi had been sure Lydia would choose one her favorite places on the boardwalk. "What happened to Spicy Cantina or Park Seafood?"

"Those were her favorites when she was fourteen, besides she doesn't want to go to the boardwalk with her _parents_ neither did you at that age."

"I did." Said Jane.

Mrs. Bennet smiled fondly, "Well, of course, _you_ did Jane, but you're _special_."

Lizi laughed, "Mom, you make it sound like she has a learning disability."

"Just make sure you come back at four. Do you have your phones with you?"

"No. You know we don't like to bring them to the beach."

"I'll get mine," said Jane, "if you want us to bring one."

"Well, I suppose there's no need to risk it as long as you have a watch."

Jane held up her arm to show her mother her watch.

Lizi wished they could go somewhere else for Lydia's Birthday but at least if they got to Fitsgigi's early they wouldn't see Darcy. His party always came in towards the end of the evening.

.~.~.~.~.

Carla wasn't at the beach today. Lizi and Jane had been there for a couple of hours when Kat and Lydia joined them.

"Birthday Selfie!" Lydia cried as she and Kat pulled Jane and Lizi in close and Lydia snapped a picture.

"Lydia" Lizi protested, "we were just in swimming!"

"So what? Your hair looks best when it's wet, and Jane comes out of the water looking like a model."

She was right about Jane. Lizi returned to her book while Lydia posted her photo speaking as she typed, "Celebrating my sweet sixteen with all my sisters! Smiley face."

"Lydia!" Jane exclaimed.

"What? Oh yea, Mary. We should all go to Mary's stand and take a birthday selfie!"

Lizi put down her book, "Lydia, leave Mary alone when she's working."

"She won't be busy. What street is she on today?"

"How do you know if she'll be busy or not?"

"If it's too far I don't want to go," said Kat.

Lydia texted Mary and asked if she was busy. There was no reply. Lydia rolled her eyes, "She never checks her phone, let's just go see."

Jane thought it was a nice idea, so Lizi reluctantly agreed, and they went to find and torture Mary who hated being in photos.

When they returned to their spot on the beach Lydia, tossed her phone to Lizi, "Watch my phone I want to swim."

"I'm not watching your phone, that's why I don't bring mine, so I don't have to worry about it." Lydia had already flounced off without listening.

.~.~.~.~.

Even though they all returned home in good time, the Bennets didn't get to Fitzgigi's early. It had been a foolish hope. They never got anywhere early. At least it was a nice night to wait outside. It had been a hot day, but with the sun going down it was pleasant, and there was a breeze coming down the Island.

Darcy passed the bench where Lizi was sitting, glanced back at her, and stopped, "Lizi, are you here to eat?"

Resisting the temptation to say something sarcastic she answered, "Yes, I'm here with my family, it's my sister's Birthday."

He stared at her without responding and supposing he was looking at her loose hair; she gave him an arch smile. "My time, my hair."

"Of course."

"But since you dislike it I'll try to stay out of your line of vision."

"I never said I didn't like it. It is just when you are…"

"You must be Chad. I've heard _so_ much about you!"

Lizi wanted to cringe; her mother had come up to them. Jane and Lizi had not mentioned Chad in front of their mother. She must have been grilling Carla for information. Her mother was standing too close to Will Darcy. She touched his arm and spoke in a high flirty tone of voice. Darcy looked at her if she was something nasty stuck to the bottom of his shoe.

"I'm Chad." To Lizi's relief, Chad somehow inserted himself between Darcy and her mother, "You must be Jane and Lizi's younger sister."

Her mother laughed, "Flatterer!" but it was obvious she was pleased.

Darcy had taken a step back and stood watching the exchange. Karo came up to him and reached out as if she would touch him on the arm saying, "Are you coming, Will?"

He drew back from her, practically jumping out of the way and almost collided with someone who was passing behind him. Without offering any apology, he said, "Of course, Chad we'll see you upstairs," and walked away but Chad continued talking with the Bennets until their pager went off.

Lizi should probably have been grateful that Lydia's birthday was in the summer. If they were home, she would have pestered her parents for a big sweet sixteen party, but even she knew they didn't have enough space for that here. No doubt she would use the lack of a party as an excuse to extort money from her parents for weeks.

At any of the restaurants Lizi would have expected Lydia to have chosen, the Bennets wouldn't have stood out so much, but Fitzgigi's was the sort of place where most people talked softly while enjoying the view. Lydia and Kat were constantly talking over each other, while simultaneously shooting selfies and texting friends. Their mother added to the noise and Mary sometimes interjected a quote, from one of her favorite books, that was only vaguely related to the conversation. Their father sat back watching his family make a spectacle of themselves with a small smile on his face as he observed the reactions of the other dinners. The worst part was that Darcy's party was seated only a few tables away and were witnessing the whole thing. Chad at least looked to be in as good a mood as ever, and Herb seemed engrossed with his meal, but Karo and Lois exchanged several significant glances with Darcy who looked offended by the noise.

Fitzgigi's wasn't so quiet a place that they didn't have a clapping chant to use on people's birthday's when requested. In Lydia's case, there was no hope of escaping it, and her mother had made the usual request of Mark, their waiter. The wait staff served dessert with all the necessary fanfare, and Lydia insisted they all squeeze into a selfie with her. Both as a waitress and a dinner, Lizi had come to loathe birthday chants. Happy Birthday had recently come into public domain. When were restaurants going to catch on and just sing the regular song?

As they finished their meal, Lizi noticed that the man who had been sitting at the next table had left his glasses behind. She glanced around quickly but didn't see Mark nearby (he was probably hiding from Lydia) so, with a quick explanation to whoever in her family might be listening, she jumped up, picked up the glasses and ran outside hoping to catch him. She caught up with the man on the sidewalk and returned the glasses. She was a few minutes while he thanked her then returned to her family.

When Lizi entered the restaurant, Karo and Darcy were standing on the steps talking. Karo was saying, "I'm sorry OK? I made a mistake. Can't we just go back to being friends?"

"Friends don't…" Darcy noticed Lizi and stopped speaking. The two stood without talking until she was out of ear-shot.

What was the deal with those two anyway? It didn't seem like Darcy was very nice to Karo.

Darcy and Karo returned from whatever they had been talking about just as the Bennets were leaving. Karo rejoined the rest of their group but Darcy stopped to talk to Lucas and Lizi overheard him saying,

" _Happy Birthday_ is in the public domain now. Unless the staff enjoys doing the chant, there's no reason they can't do the regular song unless a customer specifically asks for the chant."

Hmm… maybe they had found something they agreed on. Well, even a broken clock…

.~.~.~.~.

As they drove home, Karo leaned forward and said to her brother, "The Bennets seem to be a very close family."

He glanced back at her suspiciously. "Yes."

"Jane seems like a sweet girl."

"She does."

"But imagine if you were to date her. You would probably be expected to show up for all the Birthday Celebrations, seven a year at least."

"What of it?"

"It's just something to think about, being out so often in public with _that_ family, having people judge you by their behavior."

"I've never been fussed about what people think."

"Maybe not," said Darcy, "but they are so raucous, surely that would become wearing even on _your_ nerves after a while."

"The youngest sisters are energetic but so were Karo and Lo at that age. It's just high spirits. They will grow out of it."

"The mother hasn't grown out of it. She is just as bad as they are. Besides, your father never allowed your sisters to behave as Lydia and Kat do. Mr. Bennet just lets his daughter's run wild. If anything he seems amused by their behavior.

Success! Karo hadn't said what she did for her brother's benefit. She knew Will must find the Bennet's behavior intolerable and that once the subject was started, he would give his opinion. The more she could get him to focus on Lizi's family the less chance there was of his thinking of Lizi. She had noticed how often Will's eyes seemed to follow Lizi lately.

Karo had messed up with Will, overplayed her hand. She'd had to make a strategic retreat, and it was likely it would take her a long time to get back on his good side, but at least she could do what she could to undermine any interest in Lizi. She was only doing what was best for him. Lizi was all wrong for Will Darcy.

Lois must have been thinking along the same lines. "I noticed Lizi wasn't wearing the hair clip you gave her Will. I hope she didn't dislike it."

"It was only for work. It's almost a shame to make her wear it at all, her hair is so attractive loose, but she is working around food so it can't be helped."

Oh no, this was bad.

Karo addressed her brother again, "I heard Mr. Bennet say something about finances being tight. Something about which card to put the meal on…"

"With Jane and Lizi in College and Mary about to start that isn't surprising."

"Even so," Darcy replied, and this time Karo thought she detected an edge to his voice. "If they are in trouble financially, it would be better not to get involved."

"There's no reason to think they are. Jane tells me they haven't taken out student loans, so they must be better off than many people. Anyway, I'm not 'getting involved' I'd just like to get to know Jane better, spend some time with her, Lizi too. I enjoy their company. There's no harm in that."

"I wouldn't be against spending more time with Jane," said Karo.

"Neither would I," said Lois

There was brief silence, then Herb spoke for the first time, "We should stop and pick up more beer. We're almost out."


	5. Jellyfish

Over the next few weeks, Jane was on the breakfast-lunch shift three more times, and Chad showed up for breakfast each time. Lizi was so convinced this was no coincidence that she was surprised to see him for breakfast on one of her own mornings. Usually, breakfast was slow, and customers just came upstairs to be seated with no need for pagers.

Chad was seated in Lizi's section. She poured him coffee saying, "Jane isn't on today."

"I know I… oh, you've figured me out have you?"

"I was only guessing, you gave yourself away with your response, but don't worry, your secret is safe with me."

"It's true I usually make a point of coming for breakfast when Jane is working. But, today I dropped Darcy off in Island Beach for a meeting so I thought I might as well have breakfast while I'm out this way."

 _Who had a meeting in a state park? Wait…_ "Don't tell me he has a meeting with the Governor."

"Oh, no, his meeting wasn't there, that's just where his helicopter was picking him up."

 _Ask a silly question._

"Well, his company's helicopter, he didn't want to leave us without a car," Chad added as if that somehow made Darcy sound like less of a rich jerk.

"Chad, are you Darcy's assistant or something?"

He smiled, "No, I was just doing him a favor. Anyway, he's going to pick up my car after the meeting and drive it back here. It's not always convenient for the five of us to only have one car, but Darcy doesn't like to drive down separately."

 _What_? "Why not?"

"We all have our idiosyncrasies."

"True but I suspect Darcy is more used to having his indulged than others are."

"People think I let him boss me around, but I don't really. It's just that if I don't feel strongly about something and it's important to Darcy I let him have his way."

"You are a good friend but does he do the same for you?"

"I guess there aren't many things I feel strongly about, but there is my car, Darcy thought I should get something with a higher safety rating."

Lizi privately thought if Darcy letting a 21-year-old-man who was no relation to him choose his own car was the best example Chad could come up with there was reason to fear he was too compliant. Still, Chad was a nice guy, and Jane liked him. As he finished his meal, she stopped by his table again and said, "Jane doesn't really like rides, but she likes the sky-ride. She likes miniature golf, and she likes to get ice-cream. She likes to just walk on the boardwalk or the beach, the usual stuff you do down here."

"Good to know."

"You should just ask her out."

"It's already taken care of."

"It is?"

Chad held up his phone, "I texted her a little while ago. I'm seeing her tonight."

.~.~.~.~.

Texts on Jane's phone:

Karo: Hi Jane it's Karo u working today?

Jane: No what's up?

Karo: Come hang out at the beach with Lo n me?

Karo: The guys are at great adventure :(

Karo: Boring here all by ourselves! :( :(

Karo: SOS!

Jane: Lol sure I'll come

Karo: GREAT!

Karo: Bring lizi if u want.

Jane: Thanks but Lizi is working today.

Karo: K see u soon.

.~.~.~.~.

"Girls I need to borrow your car today," said Mrs. Bennet "I'm taking Lydia to get her working papers. She got a job at the ice-cream place with Kat." Their father only came to the shore for occasional short visits, so Jane and Lizi's car was currently the only one they had. They didn't use it much at the shore, and it was easier not to have too many vehicles.

"Somebody actually thought it was a good idea to let Lydia and Kat work together?"

"Don't be silly Lizi."

Jane fished out the car keys, "No problem, I can ride my bike to Karo's, I won't be there late."

Mrs. Bennet took the keys and pointed one at Jane, "Don't rush away if they invite you to stay longer. If you can stretch out the time till Chad get's back, he'll drive you home."

"Oh, no, she only invited me to hang out at the beach. I won't be there past dark!"

"Well, do your best, maybe it will rain."

"If it does Karo will probably just borrow Chad's car and drive her home."

Mrs. Bennet glared at Lizi as if she had purposely spoiled her plan.

.~.~.~.~.

Texts on Lizi's phone:

Jane: Fyi don't worry if I'm not there when you get home. I got stung by a jellyfish.

Jane: I'm FINE!

Lizi: OMG where are you?!

Jane: Still at Karo's.

Lizi: What's the address?

Jane: Don't try to bike out here. It's supposed to storm.

Lizi: What's the address?

Jane: I'm fine! They are taking good care of me

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi shook her head in exasperation. Jane would say she was fine if she was having her leg amputated. She went to find Lucas; he must know Darcy's address.

Lizi had, had an odd schedule today coming in at noon and finishing at 7:00 so she would still have plenty of light. It would only take her about half an hour to bike out to Neatherly beach going directly from Fitzgigig's. There were some ominous clouds gathering on the mainland, but she should be fine.

By the time she reached the Heights, the sky was black, and there was a loud crash of thunder, but it wouldn't make sense to turn back now. As she reached Ortley beach, the skies opened up.

The Darcy/Bartley house was almost at the end of the island. Here the houses were larger and further apart, and there was no ordinance to prevent building on the dunes (or maybe houses already built on the dunes had been grandfathered she wasn't sure). The house was large but not as ostentatious as Lizi had expected. It was built on pylons with room to park underneath and in the style of an old shore house with large porches on every level.

Lizi arrived tired, cold, and soaked to the skin. She left her bike under the house with the cars (the guys must be home already) and climbed up to the first level. She knew the Bartley's were on this level, but it looked dark. She tried the doorbell anyway.

A porchlight came on upstairs, "Lizi is that you?" It was Chad yelling down to her.

"Yes!" She made her way up the stairs, "I thought you owned the lower unit! How is Jane?"

"Jane didn't have an allergic reaction, so that's good, we removed the tentacles and soaked her foot in vinegar then used hydrocortisone cream. Now we're just keeping ice packs on it, and she took Advil. My family does own the lower unit, but we all usually hang out up here. And since Darcy is alone this year Karo and I are using bedrooms on this floor. We wouldn't want Darcy to get lonely with nothing but a gorgeous view for company.."

By now they had reached the door, and Chad opened it for her saying to the others, "Its Lizi."

She moved quickly to Jane's side to see the sting for herself cringing in sympathy.

"It's not so bad, Lizi." Jane smiled, "I'm only sorry to have caused so much fuss."

"It's no bother!" Chad was quick to reassure her. "I'm just glad we decided to come home early."

"We heard there were storms coming." He explained to Lizi, so we left early to get home before they hit." _Who paid for Great Adventure and then didn't stay as long as they could?_

"Lizi did you ride your bike here in a thunderstorm?" Darcy asked the question as if he was about to tell her off for doing it. Karo and Lois also expressed surprise in tones that implied repulsion. Herb was playing a video game and never looked up.

"It wasn't storming when I started out."

Darcy was staring at her with an intense look on his face. _What?_ Was she dripping all over his expensive rug or something? Shit! She probably was! She took a few steps backward to stand on the expensive tile instead.

Karo's eyes darted quickly from Darcy to Lizi, "We need to get you some dry clothes."

Chad handed her a towel which she quickly wrapped around herself. Darcy started as if coming out of a trance. "Yes, my sister is about your size, she probably has something here you can wear."

"Oh, no, that's ok."

"Don't be silly you need to get dry. My sister won't mind she isn't here this summer. This way."

He led her to a room with a cute plaque on the door that said "Gigi." They entered the room, and he opened the closet, "Anything she left here she won't mind if you use. You can check in the drawers as well."

"Thank you."

He stood there for a moment then seemed to recall himself and turned to leave. "There's a dryer you can throw your things in once you change."

Lizi toweled her hair as best she could. She was just about to pull off her clothes when she caught herself in the mirror and blushed deeply. No wonder Darcy had been staring! The white T-Shirt clung to her and was practically translucent and the bra she had worn today wasn't padded enough to hide the way her nipples were standing out from the cold. _Not gay then._ Oh, well, he had probably been staring in disapproval rather than interest.

Lizi selected a yellow sundress with smocking at the top that would keep her decent even without a bra. It was a little young for her, but it felt good to put on something dry. She hoped Darcy was right that Gigi wouldn't mind.

.~.~.~.~.

There wasn't a thing to be done for Jane that Chad wasn't already doing so Lizi sat down next to her and squeezed her hand.

Jane held up her phone, "Mom and Lydia aren't coming back until morning and Mary says the power is out on our end, but she and Kat are fine."

The lights flickered ominously, but they stayed on. "If your power doesn't come back on maybe you should just stay," said Chad, "unless you are worried about your sisters, but I can drive you home once the storm lets up if you want me to."

Darcy spoke without looking up from whatever he was writing, "There will be water on the roads."

"Ok, I'll take your car."

To Lizi's surprise, Darcy only nodded. What was with him and Chad's car?

"Whatever is more convenient," said Jane, "right Lizi?"

"Of, course." She couldn't exactly insist on being driven home after she had barged in here. "Mary and Kat will be fine on their own." The only real danger was of boredom if Mary's book light or Kat's phone battery gave out.

"Then it would be better for you to stay. We have plenty of room." Darcy told them.

Karo stood, "Can I get anyone a drink?" On her way to the kitchen area, she passed behind Darcy and tried to look over his shoulder.

He held his hand over his paper as if he were stopping her from cheating off him, "I am writing to my sister."

"What an attentive brother you are! This must be the fourth or fifth letter you've written her since we've been here."

Darcy made no reply.

"And you write them out longhand too, do you always send handwritten letters? I would find that _so_ difficult."

"It is nice to get a handwritten letter."

"Please tell her how much I miss her being here this summer."

"Very well."

"You never did tell us where she is."

"No, I didn't" Darcy continued writing.

It was almost comical, but Karo didn't give up. She turned to Jane saying, "Gigi is _such_ a sweet girl! I just adore her! I wish you could hear how _beautifully_ she plays the piano. She had an early audition for Julliard didn't she Will? How did that go?" That explained the grand piano in one corner it must be hard to keep in tune here.

"She decided to put it off a year," Darcy replied.

"Oh, what a shame."

"It is for the best."

"Of, course."

All was silent for a time, and then Karo said, "Will did you tell your sister how much I miss her?"

"Yes."

Karo picked up her phone and pretended to take an interest in something on the screen.

After a while, Lizi started to feel silly about having come. Chad was so attentive to Jane there was nothing left for her to do and, while they both made a point of including her in their conversation, she was starting to feel as if she were in their way. She stood and walked over to examine a large bookcase. Many of the books were expensive looking hardcovers, but there were a few shelves with well-worn paperbacks. Some of them looked like they had been dropped in the ocean.

"If you wish to read something please take whatever you would like."

"Oh!" Lizi hadn't realized Darcy had come to stand near her. "Thank you."

She studied the paper-backs a bit longer then pulled down a copy of _Darcy Bites*_ she'd been meaning to read that one.

"Fanfiction?"

"It's summer. I'm reading purely for pleasure."

"And you find fanfiction a pleasure?"

"That all depends on the story, there are a number I have found very enjoyable. Of course the original will always be superior, but Austen gave us so few books. Once one has read them several times and is still wishing for more, I find no harm in turning to fanfiction"

"That is what my sister says."

"I take it you are only interested in the original."

"I have never read it."

"I hope you are not among those who think Jane Austen wrote chick lit."

"No. I have read all her books accepting _Pride and Prejudice_."

Chad looked up from where he'd been talking with Jane, "The truth is Darcy is named after a character in that book and doesn't wish to read about his namesake. I think he may fear they have more in common than a name."

"It could be worse," said Lizi, "He could have been named Fitzwilliam."

"Check his birth-certificate sometime."

" _Really_?"

"It was his mother's favorite book. His father use to joke that she only married him for his last name."

A look that might have been pain crossed Darcy's face so quickly that Lizi wasn't sure she'd seen it, but it was enough that she checked her laugh.

Darcy said, "I take it your mother is a fan as well."

"My Father actually, but he named us ironically."

Darcy looked confused, "How can a name be ironic? It is your name."

"It's just the idea of being Mr. Bennet, having five daughters and giving us the same names as the Bennets in _Pride and Prejudice_."

"But he couldn't have known, when he named you and Jane, that there would be five of you or that you would all be girls. If his last name had been Dashwood would he have made a point of stopping at three?"

"He claims his having five daughters is evidence that God shares his sense of humor. He says God turned the joke around on him and our personalities match the book as well."

Darcy looked at her oddly, and she added, "I hope you aren't offended by the idea that God has a sense of humor."

"No, not at all but, ' _humor in oculis aspicientis_ _'_ **, what amuses one person is enigmatic to another."

Karo spoke before Lizi had a chance to answer, "Will, if you like I can mail your letter for you tomorrow."

"No, thank you. I will mail it myself."

With that, he quickly returned to his letter, sealed it in an envelope and put it away without addressing it. He opened his laptop and appeared to be engrossed in something.

Herb's game finished and he looked up at Lizi, "You prefer reading books on paper? That's unusual."

"When I'm at the beach I prefer something I can read by the water or leave on my blanket without worrying about it."

Herb made no reply and started a new game.

Lizi settled down in a chair to read the book. Noticing that "Gigi" was written on the inside cover she asked of no one in particular, "Is Gigi short for Georgiana?"

Darcy glanced up from his screen, "No, my Father would not agree to Georgiana."

After that, Karo walked over to the bookshelf and made a selection from one of the fancy hardbound books. If she hoped by doing this to get Darcy's attention it didn't work, but she sat down to read while Chad talked with Jane, and Lois shopped on her tablet occasionally joining their conversation.

Elizabeth read without interruption until she got to the part where Elizabeth "mistakes" Mr. Darcy for a vampire and takes him down with an "unladylike kick" she laughed imagining doing the same to this Darcy.

She was too engrossed in her book to notice that Darcy looked up from his computer and studied her expression when she laughed but Karo put her own book aside and said, "Lizi your sister tells me you are also at TCNJ."

Lizi would have preferred to keep reading but answered, "Yes, I'll be a junior."

"Do you plan on teaching as well?"

"No. I have a double major in Psychology and Business Administration."

"An unusual combination."

Darcy looked up from his screen, "That is wise. You'll have a solid understanding of business when you open your own practice."

"Oh, I hardly plan on opening my own practice."

"Where are you thinking about for Grad school?"

"I'm not. Not in the near future anyway. I'll need to get a job when I'm done with College."

"I was under the impression a Psychology degree was not much good without at least a Masters."

"Hence the second major in Business Administration."

Darcy looked ready to reply, but Karo spoke first, "Of course everyone must do what they think best but _I_ wanted to major in something I could put to _use_. That's why I chose French and Italian."

Lizi was surprised she didn't think there was much you could do with those majors but teach and she somehow couldn't see Karo teaching. "What are you planning to do?"

"Work for my father, but a knowledge of languages and cultures _always_ comes in handy when you work for an international company. Will often has to travel to other countries, don't you Will?"

"I did in the beginning, but now I can handle most contact remotely."

Karo looked a little put-out by this answer, " _Please_ " thought Lizi, " _Please tell me she didn't pick her major based on places Darcy travels."_

* * *

*A/N: Yes. I shamelessly had Lizzy read my own book and if you're interested it's on Amazon. ;o)

** "Humor is in the eye of the beholder."

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks for reading and thanks to those who favorite and/or followed and many thanks to those who reviewed for your encouragement._

 _I tried to spiff up my description a little._

 _Responses to a couple of people I wasn't able to PM with answers to questions:_

 _contreplongee: Maybe I should work in more description of Lizi's hair but in the meantime: I image her hair has a lot of wave to it but it would get a little frizzy when it's humid. At the shore it's always humid and usually windy so it would look a bit frizzy and windblown and it's layered but the layers are a little overgrown so it's a bit out of shape and falling in her face. In the winter she would blow it out and style it. There's enough wave to look cute when it's soaking wet (weather it looks better wet as Lydia claimed would be a matter of opinion.) Nothing outlandish, Darcy only noticed it initially because she kept pushing it out of her face and she's working around food. Other than that, brown and three or four inches below shoulder length. I hope that helps._

 _Elf68: Among other things it means restaurants can now sing "Happy Birthday" without paying a royalty._


	6. Lingerie and Ice Cream

_A/N: thanks for all the reviews, ect. I was excited to reach an even 50 and figured the best thanks is another chapter. Soon I'll lose my lead and have to slow down, but in the meantime:_

* * *

The storm had receded, and for a time there was only a light rain, but now the rain got heavier again, and a flash of lightning hit the ocean accompanied by a loud clap of thunder.

Darcy realized he had not paid attention to a significant section of the report he had been reading and scrolled back to the top. He didn't really need to work on this now except that Karo would pester him even more if he didn't appear busy but Lizi kept distracting him without seeming to try. She gave every appearance of enjoying her book without thinking of him at all, and he found himself tempted to ask what made her laugh.

In addition, her appearance when she first arrived was hard to put out of his mind. Her hair half loose from the clip she had worn it in for work, the white t-shirt… _Stop it!_ It had been dangerous to ride her bike during a violent thunderstorm. Very irresponsible and it was not as if her sister truly needed her.

As far as Darcy could tell Lizi had done nothing more than dry herself off and throw on the sundress. She hadn't put on make-up and was letting her hair dry as it would. He found himself trying to fathom why her appearance was so appealing. She must have been soaked to the skin when she arrived. Did she have anything on under the sundress?

Lois held her tablet up to Karo, "I need a shower gift for Debbi, which of these negligees to you like better?

"The black."

"I need a man's opinion, Herb?"

She held the tablet up for him to see but he barely looked up from his game saying, "Very nice dear you should get it."

"Chad what do you think?"

Apparently, Chad hadn't been paying attention. When she held up the screen to him, he pushed it away, " _Ew, Lo!_ I don't want to think about you wearing anything like that!"

"It isn't for _me_ it's a gift."

"Oh." He took the tablet and studied the pictures, "Actually I don't really like either of these. He swiped through a few pictures. I prefer something simple like this."

Lois took back the tablet barely glancing at her brother's choice, "What do you think Will?"

"I am the wrong person to ask. In my opinion, there is something deceitful about a woman wearing fancy lingerie."

Lizi had not seemed to be paying attention to the conversation, but at this, she looked up from her book. "How so?"

"It speaks of preplanning. Women do not wear this sort of thing all the time. So a woman already wearing something like this must have been intending a sexual encounter."

"But Lois is looking for a shower present. What woman, on her wedding night, is not intending a 'sexual encounter'?"

"Perhaps on my wedding night I would not mind, but in general I do not like it when a woman plans to seduce me."

"What of a long-term relationship where things are heading that way? Is a woman to be blamed for anticipating what _might_ happen and wanting to be pleasing if it does?"

"I generally find that the more a woman attempts to be pleasing the less pleasing she actually is. Such attire would not entice me."

Chad shook his head. "I would hate to be always over thinking things the way you do. What _could_ a woman wear to entice you?"

 _A yellow sundress that leaves me wondering if she has anything on underneath._ "I would rather see a woman wearing something I lent her," that was too close to his thought. He quickly added, "like a t-shirt or my pajamas. Such attire would show that she had no plans to seduce me and was completely unprepared to spend the night."

"Unless she already knows your preferences," said Lizi, "and was unprepared by design."

She had a point, and now he would have to hide his t-shirts from Karo. "I think in such a case she would likely do something to give herself away."

"And what of the man in this scenario? Is he to be equally unprepared? If so there could be some very unfortunate results."

"Not at all but _I_ prefer to advance a relationship at a time of my own choosing. Do remember I am only speaking of my own preferences."

"And what of women who _do_ wear fancy lingerie on a regular basis only to please themselves? How would you know this was not the case?"

"Do you know any women who do this?"

"Not that I know of," Lizi admitted, "But it doesn't follow that I don't. In most of my conversations with other women, we don't discuss, or show each other, our underwear."

"Then how would you recommend I judge whether a woman has pre-designs on me?"

"This may be a silly idea, but you _could_ just give women the benefit of the doubt."

"For someone in my position in life that would be a dangerous approach. I must always be alert for women who wish to ensnare me for mercenary reasons."

Lizi looked surprised by his answer. Could she truly be that naive or was it an act? Or was she only surprised that a man could be aware of the arts women employed for captivation?

"Well," Karo's voice had a touch of bitterness, or maybe he imagined it, "this is all very enlightening, but I don't think it's helping Lois choose a gift."

"Maybe," said Lizi, "Darcy would recommend a more practical gift, flip-flops or a hair clip, for example or a set of hair clips?."

"If the bride-to-be is has a reckless nature," he replied, "I might recommend a safety vest, thus helping to ensure she lives to see her wedding day."

"Well she didn't register for any of _those_ things," said Lois. Darcy wondered why Lois had asked for input at all if it was just a matter of choosing something from a registry, but he wasn't sorry for the change of topic. He had spent entirely too much time talking to Lizi about women's lingerie. If he weren't careful, she would get the wrong idea! What was it about her that made him heedless of danger?

He returned to the report he was reviewing determined to concentrate. He was successful for about twenty minutes, and then the power went out, and he lost his internet connection.

Herb sighed and turned to Lois, "We might as well go to bed."

"You can't leave," protested Chad. "With the power out we have to eat up all the ice cream!"

Sometimes Darcy thought Chad only bought ice cream in the hope that a power failure would force them to eat it all up. Herb and Lois were not enticed and took flashlights to make their way downstairs. Karo also objected to the necessity of eating the ice cream, but she didn't leave.

Darcy didn't mind. Eating up all the ice-cream was something Chad's mother had them do once when they were children that had been a power-failure tradition ever since. But as children, Karo had eaten as much ice-cream as the others. Now she only took a small bowl and let most of it melt. He missed that childhood version of Karo before she became so concerned with her appearance. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford to gain a few pounds. Gigi still enjoyed the tradition. He wished she were here.

"I am willing to do my share," said Jane, "But it's a little chilly for ice-cream."

"Oh yes, let me get some blankets, and I'll put on hot water for tea afterward the gas range will still work with a match." Chad brought everyone a blanket and took special care to see that Jane was well guarded against the cold of the ice-cream, in addition to the ice on her foot, and asked her if she needed more Advil.

If it had been winter they would have considered it a warm day but in comparison to the temperatures in the 80s and 90s they'd been having it felt chilly, and the blankets were welcome. They sat eating ice cream and watching the storm as it moved out to sea. If Karo hadn't kept trying to engage him in conversation, it would have been nice. Luckily Chad had anticipated his sisters wouldn't eat much and hadn't overbought, but Darcy was glad the Bennet sisters were there. Once there had been 9 of them to meet the challenge. It would have made him sad to be down to just him and Chad.

Darcy declined tea and went to bed saying to Jane and Lizi, "Feel free to sleep in Gigi's room there should already be sheets on the beds or the couches open up. The sheets for those are in the chest right there."

.~.~.~.~.

In the end, Jane decided it was easier to just stretch out on the couch she was already sitting on, and Lizi slept on the couch across from her wrapped in her blanket. The couches were very comfortable.

A few hours after Lizi had gone to sleep the power came back on. The lights came on, and Herb's video game made a funny beeping noise. She wanted it to stop but wasn't quite awake enough to get up and turn it off. Darcy came padding down the steps, wearing pajama pants and a T-shirt, looking groggy and mussed. He turned off the video game and most of the lights.

He came and stood over Lizi and must have suddenly realized her eyes were open. He whispered, "Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No."

"You look cold, may I fix your blanket?"

In her sleep, she had pulled the blanket up around her neck leaving most of herself uncovered. Lucikly the sundress was still more or less in place, "Yes, thank you."

He fixed the blanket tucking it around her legs and feet. "Do you want another one?"

"No thanks, I'm warm enough now."

"Do you need anything?"

"No, I'll go back to sleep in a second."

"OK." For a moment he looked like he was about to kiss her on the head but then he walked away to shut off the rest of the lights and go back upstairs. Later Lizi thought she must have fallen back to sleep and dreamed the last bit. She wasn't entirely sure she hadn't dreamed the whole thing, except that her blanket was tucked around her legs and feet and she never did that.

.~.~.~.~.

When Lizi woke in the morning, the sun was shining, and she was able to appreciate the fantastic view Darcy had. Jane and Chad were already up and talking softly.

Someone had taken Lizi's clothes out of the dryer and left them folded neatly on the coffee table near her. She picked them up and went into the bathroom to change wondering who would have done it. When she came out, Chad had coffee ready and offered her a selection of cereal. The three of them sat down to eat.

Karo came out of her room wearing a yoga outfit, a black sport top, and skin-tight black leggings with a leopard printed across the legs. She poured herself coffee then stood by the window. "Such a _lovely_ day. I could look at this view _all_ morning."

For a time it looked as if she did intend to stay at the window all morning, but then she suddenly gulped down her coffee, took out a yoga matt, unrolled it in front of the TV and got a disk ready to play. The reason for her sudden activity was soon clear. Darcy came in from outside. He had obviously been swimming. His bathing suit left little to the imagination, but Lizi was more struck that Mr. look-both-ways-before-crossing-the-street-and-don't-ride-your-bike-in-a-thunderstorm would swim before the lifeguards were on duty. He picked up a towel from a stack near the door, dried himself off and wrapped it around his waist then poured himself coffee and cereal.

Karo started her yoga routine. Maybe Darcy wasn't _totally_ paranoid to think women wanted to seduce him. Karo was flexible enough to make advanced yoga poses look effortless, but if she was doing this for Darcy's benefit, he seemed more interested in his cereal.

Lizi finished her breakfast and stood to put her bowl in the sink.

Karo hit pause. "Lizi you should join me. You must be stiff after sleeping on the couch all night."

"Thanks, but I'm not really any good at Yoga."

"Oh, don't be silly if you can ride a bike you can do Yoga."

 _What? That made no sense._

Karo continued, "I have a Yoga block you can use and look, the woman in red is doing a beginner level version you can just follow her."

Karo jumped up and went to get the Yoga block without waiting for an answer, prancing in front of Darcy as she went to and from her room. She came back with the block and an extra mat. "Come on give it a try it's _so refreshing_ you don't have to do anything that's too hard for you."

"Well…OK." Lizi didn't really like Karo, but she felt kind of bad for her. Her attempts to get Darcy's attention were sort of pathetic. At least with two of them doing Yoga, it would be less obvious.

Darcy picked up his cereal and coffee and settled in a chair where he was looking directly at them. Had Karo drawn his attention after all or was he enjoying watching Lizi make a fool out of herself? She was worse at Yoga then she remembered, but she wasn't going to let Darcy intimidate her and was determined to ignore him. Unfortunately, Karo made that impossible by asking, "Will, why don't you join us? It would be just the thing before you face the stress of the day."

Darcy answered with just a touch of a smile. "You can't really want me to join you it would interfere with your true motives."

"Of course we do. Don't we Lizi?"

"Maybe Darcy sees how good you are at Yoga and doesn't want to look silly by comparison."

"Oh, Will is the sort of man who would not look silly doing _anything_! But, what does he mean about our true motives?"

"I don't know but we should just ignore him. He means to say something clever at our expense and it will aggravate him if we don't give him the chance."

Karo was incapable of ignoring Darcy and insisted he explain his meaning.

"You either are either doing Yoga in the middle of the Living Room because you need the space or because you want everyone to notice how good you look doing it. If it's for the space, I would only crowd you and if you want to show off your figures I have a better view from where I am."

"Oh, Will that is a _horrible_ thing to say!" exclaimed Karo in a tone of delight. "Lizi we must put him in his place, what should we reply?"

 _Why did Karo keep bringing her into this?_ "You had better decide on the best come-back. You know Darcy's weaknesses better than I do."

"Oh, but he has no weaknesses. He is a man without fault."

Lizi gave up on the Yoga pose she was trying to do and sat down on her matt, "Some would consider claiming to have no faults to be a fault in and of its self."

"I have made no such claim," Darcy objected, "I have as many faults as anyone else."

"Such as?"

"Perhaps that I take too much trouble about the well being of those I care about."

"So you are overbearing and boss your friends around."

"That is not my meaning."

"Then I suspect you were only making a humble-brag."

"Very well, then, I suppose some people find me stubborn. Once I make up my mind, it is not easily changed and when someone losses my good opinion it is lost forever."

"Implacable resentment is a fault indeed."

"Lizi, I'm beginning to think you make a point of misunderstanding people."

Karo hit the pause, "Lizi you must try this pose, it is very easy. Let me show you."

A few minutes' later Lizi heard voices on the stairs. _No! It couldn't be!_

Karo hit pause again, "Who could be coming here at this hour?"

Chad answered the door, and Lizi's fears were confirmed. Her mother entered with Lydia. Since when did these two get up early enough to get anywhere this early let alone when they had an hour's drive.

"Oh, Chad! Thank goodness we found you. I'm afraid we woke the people downstairs, but I was so worried about Jane! This is a nice house… a wonderful view…Oh, Jane, there you are! You poor dear! Does it hurt very badly? Oh Chad, thank you for taking care of her… so unfortunate that I was away… such a violent thunderstorm …Lydia's working papers… Jane… such a sweet girl… never complains…but it must hurt very badly. Shouldn't you be laying down?"

"I'm fine mom. Everyone took good care of me, and it doesn't sting anymore."

Lydia yawned, "I told you there was no reason to get down here so early."

"Well," said Lizi "since you're here you can give us a ride home."

Her mother looked shocked at the idea. "Lizi! What are you doing here? I hope you aren't making a nuisance of yourself!"

 _Pot, meet kettle._ "I came to check on Jane and got caught in the storm."

"There was no reason for _you_ to come! Jane was perfectly well cared for. Weren't you Jane?"

"Yes, everyone took very good care of me, but now there's no reason to intrude on their hospitality any longer."

"It's no intrusion at all!" said Chad, "We were happy to have you both. Right, Darcy? Karo?"

Karo's smile looked forced, "I'm only glad it wasn't worse and that Jane is feeling better."

Darcy merely raised an eyebrow, probably thinking that Chad was very hospitable with his house. But, then it _had_ been Darcy who said they should stay.

"You are very kind," said Jane, "but we really must be going."

Mrs. Bennet attempted to persuade Jane that she should stay and rest, with encouragement from Chad and even Karo seemed sincere in saying she would be happy for _Jane_ to stay, but Jane was firm, and their mother was forced to give way.

By now Lois had come upstairs for breakfast and had been exchanging significant looks with her sister for some time. If they could just get out of here quickly before anything else…

"Chad," said Lydia brightly, "Will you be having your Bonfire Beach Bash this year?" _Leave it to Lydia to know all about a party._

"I hope so. If we can get a permit for a fire on the beach yes, otherwise I guess we'll be having a Beach Bash."

"Can me and Kat come?"

"You can all come." Then addressing their mother, Chad added, "We don't serve alcohol to anyone under age. We have a bracelet system."

"Very sensible." Mrs. Bennet replied. Lydia seemed less than pleased but did not make an issue of it. With only two or three more expressions of thanks from their mother and everyone saying again how glad they were that Jane was feeling better (even Darcy managed to say something this time), they finally said their goodbyes and managed to make it out the door.

Now that it was daylight Lizi had a better view of the house. At least it backed on the dunes instead of cutting into them, in fact, it looked as if the dunes had grown around it, and it had a boardwalk to get from the porch to the beach with minimal disruption to the ecology. If not for the small "private property" sign Lizi almost would have admired the design, but people shouldn't be allowed to own beachfront property. It didn't help much that they could only own up the high tide line if they blocked access to the beach.

As they got in the car, Lizi's mother noticed Lizi studying the house and said, "Frankly I expected something much more grand, didn't you? We have houses every bit as nice as _this_ one on our end." She indicated a modern looking mansion, with a pool in the yard, a few houses down on the other side of the street, "We almost went _there_ by mistake, but Lydia remembered Chad's house was on the beach so we knew it couldn't be. I wouldn't exactly call this _on_ the beach, but, they do have quite a view, however; I suppose they value it for that. That Darcy isn't very friendly is he? I see why you dislike him Lizi."

"It was very kind of him," said Jane, "to let us stay the night, it was he who said we should, and Chad and the others treat his house as if it's their own. I think that shows generosity on his part."

Lizi couldn't exactly agree with Jane, but she had no logical argument to make. She did wonder at Darcy saying they should stay. Maybe he was just wing-manning for Chad? But if so, that would kind of be a nice thing to do. Maybe he was nice enough to his own group of friends, but then he wasn't very nice to Karo, maybe it was just men? Or maybe just Chad? That would make sense Chad was the sort of person it would be difficult not to like, being nasty to him would be like kicking a puppy. Well, it was good to know even Darcy had his limits. Now that she had settled her opinion Lizi would have answered Jane, but Lydia and their mom had moved on to another subject, so she let it drop. She certainly didn't want to bring the conversation back around to Darcy.

* * *

 _A/N: Just when you thought it was safe… next up: "John Wicks". Sorry I couldn't keep Lizi at Darcy's house longer but it wouldn't have made sense in this context._


	7. John Wicks

_A/N: edited 1/22/18 6:00 pm eastern standard time_

* * *

"Can you _believe_ that family?" Karo exclaimed as soon as they were gone. "I like Jane but I'm not sure hanging out with her is worth having them _all_ barging in here."

"They were only concerned about her." Chad answered, "Jellyfish stings can be very dangerous."

"Jane already told Lizi she was fine; there was no reason for her to bike all the way here when it was supposed to storm. How would it help Jane if she got hurt herself?"

"People don't always think things through logically when they are worried. I think it's nice that she was so concerned. Jane and Lizi are really close."

"Lizi looked so wild when she arrived," said Lois, "I could hardly keep from laughing, her t-shirt, and her _hair_. Chad, even _you_ must have noticed her hair."

"I honestly can't say that I did."

"You must have noticed it, Will," said Karo, "I don't think you would want _your_ sister to do such a thing."

"Certainly not!" Lois' comment had brought the picture of Lizi's appearance last night vividly to Darcy's mind and to have it suddenly replaced with a similar image of Gigi was disconcerting, to say the least.

Karo gave him a slight smile, "and she's _so reckless_ , but, maybe Lizi is improving on you, you did seem to admire her yoga."

"She is terrible at yoga. I'm surprised she let you talk her into it. There is something uninhibited about her that I find interesting." It was almost as if she didn't care what sort of impression she made on him.

Karo didn't look completely satisfied with this answer. After a brief silence, Lois said, "Jane said they live in Meryton, that's somewhere near Trenton isn't it?"

"You could just as easily say it's near Princeton," answered Chad, "It's between the two." Then noting his sisters' expressions, he added, "Well, they could live on Perry Street for all I care! Jane and Lizi are very nice, and I'm sure Mrs. Bennet meant well."

Darcy put his dishes in the dishwasher and checked the time. "I have to Skype in for a meeting soon." With that he went up to his room to dress and get ready for his meeting, leaving any more discussion of the Bennet's to the others.

.~.~.~.~.

After his meeting, Darcy did some other work. When he came back downstairs around noon, the house was quiet. They must all be at the beach, or Karo was lurking somewhere. He would like to tell Karo to stay in her own unit, but then he would have to explain it to Chad. For years they had treated it like one big house. He did a quick check and did not see her anywhere.

 _Darcy Bites_ was still on the coffee table where Lizi had left it. He had meant to tell her she could hang onto it. Darcy picked it up tempted to see what had made Lizi laugh. He tentatively opened the book to the first page, but his eyes quickly fell on the second paragraph, "It is a truth universally…" He shut the book. He always heard those words in his mother's voice. He walked over to the bookshelf and ran his fingers down the spine of _Pride and Prejudice_ , his mother's favorite book, taking a look behind him to be sure he was alone he carefully pulled it down from the shelf. Gigi had read _Pride and Prejudice_ several times but not the hardcover edition. This copy still had post-it notes where his mother had left them to mark passages she'd been discussing online. He closed his eyes and opened the book, breathing in. Did he imagine that after four years it still had the faint scent of her perfume? He swallowed hard, put the book back on the shelf, rubbed his eyes, and went upstairs to change. He would just have time for a swim before his next meeting.

.~.~.~.~.

A few days after the jellyfish incident Lizi was on the breakfast-lunch shift when Darcy came in alone and was seated in her section. When she approached him, he said, "Just coffee, for now, I'll let you know when I'm ready to order food."

She poured his coffee and was about to turn away when he pulled out a copy of _Darcy Bites_ , "You can borrow this if you want to finish reading it."

"Thanks, that's…" _uncharacteristically thoughtful_ , "nice of you, but I can get it with KU."

"As I recall you prefer paper books for the beach."

"That's true but, isn't it your sister's? I wouldn't want anything to happen to it."

Darcy raised an eyebrow looking at the book. The cover was curling up, the binding was broken, several pages had been folded at the corners to mark the spot, and it looked like coffee had been spilled on it."

Lizi laughed, "Well, yea, but its one thing for your sister to destroy her own book, she might feel differently about someone else doing it."

"I'm sure she won't mind, but if you wish I can ask her in my next letter."

 _What? Were letters their only form of communication?_ "Well… if you're sure."

"I am."

"Ok, thanks, I'll have it back to you in a few days."

"No hurry." He opened his laptop and got to work.

The next time Lizi passed he was talking on the phone. He frowned. "No, I'm not willing to do that."

He paused to listen then said, "How much do they need?"

After another pause, he spoke more sharply "Tell me how much."

"I'll make it happen."

He hung up without saying goodbye. "Lizi?"

Oh no! He probably thought she was ease dropping! "Yes?"

"I'm ready to order whenever you have a moment."

 _Oh, whew!_

.~.~.~.~.

A few days later Lizi sat on the beach with Carla finishing _Darcy Bites._

A shadow fell across her book.

"Lizi right?"

She looked up to see John Wicks standing over her and smiled in greeting, "Yes. Nice to see you, John." Wow, she'd forgotten how hot he was, she could see other girls on the beach casting envious looks in her direction.

"So this is where you've been hiding?"

"I haven't been hiding. I'm around."

"I haven't seen you at the boardwalk."

"I work a lot of nights and even when I'm off I don't always go to the boardwalk." Usually, Lizi only went to the boardwalk if Jane or Carla were also free. Now that Lydia was sixteen she and Kat were allowed to go to the boardwalk without their sisters. That had seemed like a reasonable rule when Lizi turned sixteen, but now she wasn't so sure. Even when Lizi and Carla and/or Jane walked to the boardwalk, it was often only to go as far as Kohr's for frozen custard and then walk back. They were all careful to save most of what they earned over the summer for school. When she was on her own, she was happy to sit on the screen porch reading with Mary or go to the 14th Street Dock. Sometimes Mary would join her in a walk to the dock since it wasn't far and didn't cut too much into her reading time, her mom even went sometimes when it was hot.

"That seems a little unfair after losing to you at skee-ball I ought to have the chance to reclaim my manhood at something else." His tone of voice and quick smile made it clear that he was speaking tongue-in-cheek about his "manhood" and did not expect to be taken seriously. Was this his way of asking her out?

"What did you have in mind?"

"Do you play mini-golf?"

"Sure."

"When's your next free night?"

"Monday."

"Cool, it's a date, I'll text you about the time."

"You don't have my phone number."

He winked, "I got it from your sister. I have to go back on duty, lives to protect and all that," he struck a mock-heroic pose and then grinned at her. "I'll see you Monday."

Lizi laughed, "See you then." It was nice to meet a guy that didn't take himself too seriously. She watched him walk away before noticing that Carla was frowning. "What?"

"Nothing, just, I've heard Will Darcy doesn't like him."

"So? Is Darcy supposed to approve who I spend my free-time with?"

"I just wonder if you should trust him."

"He's a nice guy. Besides, it's only miniature golf."

"And how do you know he's a nice guy? You only met him once."

"He made a good first impression." She picked up her book, "and before you say anything, in _real life"_ (she shook the book at Carla for emphasis) "guys who seem nice are usually nice, and guys who seem like jerks usually stay jerks."

"Maybe, but Lucas trusts Darcy's judgment."

Well, Lucas was kind of a kiss-ass, but Lizi didn't want to say that so she kept quiet.

Carla spoke again, "You aren't still mad that he made you put your hair up are you?"

"For the last time, I wasn't mad about putting it up. It was the way he handled it, on top of everything else that night. Besides, he's done nothing since to change my opinion. You should hear the way he talks about women like we're all after his body and his money in that order."

"I can't imagine where a hot rich guy got the idea that women are interested in him."

"Don't promote a stereotype. You think he's hot and you know he's rich, but you wouldn't be interested in him just because of that!"

"I wouldn't throw myself at him, but I wouldn't kick him out of bed for eating crackers either."

"You didn't hear him Car. He makes it sound like women are hiding around every corner ready to jump him."

"Oh, come on, he didn't say that."

"Not in so many words and why are we talking about Darcy?"

"We were talking about John Wicks. If he wanted your number why didn't he just ask you for it instead of getting it from one of your sisters?"

"Maybe because he hasn't seen me? Lydia and Kat go to the boardwalk all the time."

"I still think it's weird, but I guess we should agree to disagree."

"You're just prejudiced because Darcy doesn't like him."

"I thought you didn't want to talk about Darcy."

"I don't."

"Fine, I'll let you get back to reading _Darcy Bites_."

Lizi narrowed her eyes. "I see what you did there but trust me. This Darcy is nothing like the one in this book!"

"He doesn't have fangs you mean?"

"He's nothing like the original either!"

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi met John for miniature golf as planned. The game gave them plenty of time for conversation. After some of the usual small talk he asked her where she worked and in response to her reply said, "And how do you like it? Darcy is in there often I take it."

" _All_ the time," she rolled her eyes, "but other than that I enjoy it, and it pays better than most places."

"I was being groomed to be the manager there."

"You were? What happened?"

He hesitated, "Do you …get along well with Will Darcy?"

"Not really."

"Well, my mom worked for the Darcys as their Nanny. We are about the same age, and as toddlers, we use to play together, but then when we started school he started making friends at his fancy private school, and as we got older he didn't want anything to do with me. I don't know. His father took a liking to me, and maybe Darcy was jealous. Then when Gigi, Darcy's sister, started school my mom got a job at a daycare center, but Darcy's parents always kept in touch with her, and she would visit the children from time to time. When I turned, sixteen Darcy's father offered me a job, as a busboy at Fitzgigi's for the summer, and even offered to let me stay with them, which I did, that summer and the next two as well. I knew Darcy didn't like me being there, but I stayed out of his way as much as I could. It was hard being in the same house but I worked a lot, and I made my own group of friends. When I turned eighteen Mr. Darcy gave me a job as a waiter and offered to let me work at Fitzgigi's year round and stay in the house while I commuted to Ocean County College. He even helped me pay for school, and he had planned to make me manager of Fitzgigi's once I got my associates degree. Rey, the manager at the time, was getting near retirement age and he had agreed to mentor me. Mr. Darcy even hinted that if I wanted to go for a four-year degree we could work something out."

"He sounds very generous."

For a moment John looked too affected to talk, but then he continued, "He was generous, but he never made me feel like a charity case. He often said that Fitzgigi's was very dear to him, it was the first business his grandfather had started, and having me in charge gave him the comfort of having a family member in charge he trust..trusted…"

His voice broke up, and Lizi put her hand on his arm giving it a supportive squeeze. After a moment he recovered enough to continue, "Sorry, it's just that I feel like I let him down."

"How so?"

Mr. Darcy died suddenly. Darcy didn't promote me as his father had promised to do, but with his recent loss, I didn't like to bother him about it. I was devastated myself, so it wasn't the best time for me to take over as manager, but I believe I could have risen to the challenge for the sake of fulfilling Mr. Darcy's wishes and the extra money would have allowed me to help out my mom. I moved in with some friends at that point, so I had rent to pay. I knew I couldn't stay in Darcy's house with his father gone. Anyway, I kept working as a waiter but only part time like I had been when I was in school. After three or four weeks I decided to ask Reynold to speak to Darcy for me since his father had talked to Reynold about his plans. The next thing I knew I was fired without notice."

Lizi gasped. She had been about to putt and stopped and starred holding her putter in mid-air. She spoke softly, "How could he do that?" Then she remembered other people were behind them and finished playing the hole.

John did the same, and as they moved on to the next hole she said, "He didn't give you any reason for firing you?"

"None, he didn't even have the decency to do it himself. I could tell Reynold felt bad, but he didn't have a choice."

"But that's, that's so unfair, wasn't there anything you could do?"

"Not really it's not like I could afford a lawyer."

"Just when I was starting to think I was too hard on Darcy! He's like a thousand times worse than I thought! How horrible for you! But what have you done since then?"

"I got a job in the mail-room at a school, but in the summers they cut back on staff, so I come and work out here. Most of the other guys are in college, so that's hard but I have to do something in the summer and at least this way I get to work at the beach."

"You talk about it so calmly, but you must have been very angry at the time."

"I was, but you know what they say about holding on to anger, 'It's like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die.'" He gave her a small smile, and Lizi thought how remarkable it was that he could accept his misfortunes with such equanimity.

Later as he walked her home along the boardwalk she said, "I have been thinking of you saying that you feel as if you let Mr. Darcy down. I don't see that there's anything you could have done differently."

"Maybe if I'd tried harder with Darcy…"

"If anything it's Darcy who let his father down by not honoring his wishes."

"He would have been very disappointed to see what his son has become. In a way, I'm almost glad, for his sake, he didn't live to see it."

"After what you've told me I think I'm lucky not to have been fired myself." She told him the story of her minor rebellion regarding her hair which he found amusing.

"I admire you for doing it." He said, "Most people are too in awe of Darcy to stand up to him even in a small way."

"Can you keep a secret?"

John pantomimed locking his lips and sticking the key down his pants. Under different circumstances, Lizi might have noted that was kind of a weird place to put an imaginary key, but she was too interested in their conversation to give it much thought and continued, "I was only so impertinent because I didn't want to let him intimidate me. I knew if I let him get to me I would soon grow afraid of him."

"Good for you! I'm not really surprised you weren't fired. You're a lot prettier than I am. But, you didn't try anything after he gave you the hair clip?"

"No, there was no way I could reasonably pretend to have misunderstood the directions. Oh, and he gave it to me in a gift bag! Who puts something in a gift back just to reprimand someone?"

"It's just the kind of thing I've come to expect from Darcy. He expected you to think you were getting a gift and that would make the sting of the reprimand that much more."

"Well, it didn't work; I knew he couldn't be giving me a gift."

"Don't be too sure he never will. You should be careful, your sister too."

"Oh, I doubt even Darcy could take such a dislike to Jane, but I'll be more careful to check myself, I don't want to lose the job."

"That's not what … never mind."

"No, what where you going to say?"

"Look I wouldn't say this, but I don't want to see you or your sister get hurt. It's just… from what I've heard, Darcy usually gets what he wants from women, and he isn't very nice to them afterward."

"I'm sure he doesn't want anything from me." Then realizing that could be misinterpreted she added, "And, even if he did he wouldn't get it."

"You say that now but he can be very persuasive, and he can make himself seem very agreeable when he wants something."

"Then he must not want anything at present because he…"

"What?"

"Nothing really, just, he lent me a book." _And I'm pretty sure he tucked me in but he must have been half asleep when he did that._

"Hmmm…"

"What?"

"You're probably right that it's nothing…. only… sometimes he starts that way, with some small gesture, something to get a girl thinking maybe she was wrong about him, but no you must be right…it was only a book."

"It doesn't matter, I didn't like him before, and after hearing your story, I will be doubly on my guard. Nothing could make me change my mind about him."

"You are a rare woman Lizi Bennet to be so firm in your own mind."

She protested against his saying she was rare in this but she was pleased by the compliment none the less. After walking a little further together, she said, "I ought to warn the other waitresses about Darcy."

"Hmm."

"What?"

"I don't know if you need to. He doesn't usually dip his pen in the company ink if you know what I mean. Also, there are always those who try to get in good with him that might repeat what you said. I'd hate for you to get in trouble."

Lizi thought about this for a few minutes before answering. "Maybe you're right. I could just keep my eyes open and if anything seems suspicious I could say something to the girl in question at the time."

"You're a good person, but be careful. I have to admit he shows a woman a good time, fancy dinners, helicopter rides, shopping trips. So many of them think they are different, that they are the one woman to truly understand him and that they won't end up like all the others but they always do."

"That's so sad."

"It is."

"Speaking of his helicopter, did you know he lands it in Island Beach?"

John looked startled but only for a moment. "I'm not surprised. He hates sitting in traffic. What does he care about disturbing a few osprey or red foxes if he can avoid the bridge? And what's the worst that can happen? He has to pay a fine? That's _nothing_ to him."

"You think he's doing it illegally?"

"I'm pretty sure you can't just land a private helicopter there."

Lizi had thought the same thing. The recreational area would be out, and most of the park was wildlife habitat with limited access. With all that open beach it was conceivable he was doing it without getting caught but, "I can see him not caring about the fine, but he seems pretty straight-laced about following the rules. I don't suppose he could have permission? Where did the state police land for the governor*?"

"Now that I think about it, Darcy is pretty palsy-walsy with the governor. You're right he probably _is_ getting special privileges that ordinary mortals don't have."

"He's friends with the governor?"

"Friends," John said while making air quotes. "Darcy gave a lot of money to help with the recovery after Hurricane Sandy, a LOT of money. If you're the governor, you want to stay on the good side of a guy like that no matter which party you are."

"Remind me of this if I ever express an interest in running for public office."

They came to Lizi's street and turned off the boardwalk. "Thanks for walking me home. I feel bad you'll have to walk all the way back to The Heights alone."

"My pleasure. Sorry to dump all my problems on you like that, it just gets to me sometimes. I hope I didn't bore you to death."

"Not at all! I had fun, well I mean, there's nothing fun about how Darcy mistreated you but I had fun otherwise."

"Thanks for listening. You're a good listener."

"Anytime."

"Sorry I couldn't splurge and take you somewhere nice, but I'm glad you had fun."

"Don't be silly. I'd rather play mini-golf with you than have a fancy dinner with someone like _Darcy_ any day!"

When they reached her house, John kissed her on the cheek and said good night, the perfect gentleman. She could hear him whistling a faint tune as he walked away.

* * *

*On Fourth of July weekend 2017 the NJ State parks were closed because the budget hadn't been passed. Even people who had small fishing shacks, that were grandfathered in from before it became a state park to be able to lease the land (and live off the grid bringing in their own water ect), were made to leave their houses. But the Governor and his family were still able to stay at the Governor's mansion which is in the park. Adding insult to injury the Governor used a state police helicopter to fly to a meeting in Trenton and then back to his family at the beach. When this caused bad feelings, he responded that the house comes with the job and something along the lines of "if you want to stay there run for Governor."

* * *

A/N: Sorry to those of you who were hoping for more hair shenanigans from Lizi. It just shows how they misunderstand each other.

Thanks for reading and thanks as always to those who reviewed. Up Next: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner


	8. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

_A/N: Normally I feel I have to live with what I wrote in previous chapters even if things didn't come across as intended, but I made some small changes to chapter 7 after my initial post. If you read the version marked "edited" you can skip this note. If you didn't I hope you'll indulge me by reading this bit that changed in the scene where Lizi runs into Wicks on the beach:_

A shadow fell across her book.

"Lizi right?"

She looked up to see John Wicks standing over her and smiled in greeting, "Yes. Nice to see you, John." Wow, she'd forgotten how hot he was, she could see other girls on the beach casting envious looks in her direction.

"So this is where you've been hiding?"

"I haven't been hiding. I'm around."

"I haven't seen you at the boardwalk."

"I work a lot of nights and even when I'm off I don't always go to the boardwalk." […]

"That seems a little unfair after losing to you at skee-ball I ought to have the chance to reclaim my manhood at something else." His tone of voice and quick smile made it clear that he was speaking tongue-in-cheek about his "manhood" and did not expect to be taken seriously. Was this his way of asking her out?

"What did you have in mind?"

"Do you play mini-golf?"

"Sure."

"When's your next free night?"

"Monday."

"Cool, it's a date, I'll text you about the time."

"You don't have my phone number."

He winked, "I got it from your sister. I have to go back on duty, lives to protect and all that," he struck a mock-heroic pose and then grinned at her. "I'll see you Monday."

Lizi laughed, "See you then." It was nice to meet a guy that didn't take himself too seriously. She watched him walk away before noticing that Carla was frowning. "What?"

"Nothing, just, I've heard Will Darcy doesn't like him."

 _And now on to "Chapter 8: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner"_

* * *

Two days after Lizi's date with John Wicks, Karo showed up during the breakfast shift.

She handed Lizi her menu without opening it. "Just coffee."

The coffee here was good, but it was the first time anyone had come in just for that. Maybe she had dropped Darcy off in the park.

When Lizi brought the coffee, Karo pushed out the chair across from her with her foot. "Join me. I hate to sit here drinking coffee alone."

 _Why did she come in alone then?_ "Thanks but I'm working."

"You can take a short break, can't you? I'm sure Luke won't mind. I can talk to him."

" _Lucas_ isn't here right now." Lizi glanced around. The truth was that Karo had come in during the lull between breakfast and lunch and it was such a nice beach day there weren't many people to begin with. "OK. Let me just check on my customers and if they don't need anything I can sit for a few minutes." She joined Karo a short time later.

Karo took a long sip of her coffee before saying, "Liz, I know we aren't really friends, but I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

"Um, thanks. I wouldn't…"

Karo cut her off. "I see you're still wearing the gift Will gave you."

It took Lizi a moment to figure out that Karo was talking about the hair clip. "Yea, I mean, I may as well use it right?"

Karo fingered a diamond tennis bracelet as she said. "In spite of what he said on the boardwalk, Will usually gives nicer gifts than that."

"It wasn't exactly…"

Karo interrupted again, "Here's the thing about Will, if you're just looking for a good time, he'll show you a _great_ time. He'll take you out in his helicopter, to a fancy restaurant, he'll take you shopping, it will be a magical night and the sex will be _fantastic,_ but it's one and done. Don't make the same mistake I did and think it can be anything more."

Lizi didn't know how to respond, and after a brief pause Karo said, "I know what you're thinking."

 _I don't even know what I'm thinking._

"Knowing him so well I should have known better, but I thought I would be different. I'm not like the women he usually hooks up with. We're friends, well we _were_ friends, we travel in the same social circles, I'd be _good_ for him. I thought if we got together he would realize that, but now he wants nothing to do with me." As Karo said this, her body language changed. When she'd first started speaking she'd shown signs that she was lying, or rather, she had the mannerisms of someone who knew the signs of lying and was overcompensating. She held herself too still and didn't blink. But now she seemed completely sincere. The weird thing was John had said similar things about Darcy and his body language had been entirely natural, everything in his manner indicated sincerity, besides there was no reason for him to say anything at all about Darcy if it wasn't true. He had nothing to gain from it. Karo's agenda, on the other hand, was all too clear. Somehow she had gotten the crazy idea that Lizi was interested in Darcy and was warning her off. Of course, the best lies were based on truth. Clearly, Karo wasn't interested in Lizi's well-being. Her claim that she was saying this because she didn't want to see Lizi get hurt could easily account for her body language when she started talking. What was Karo going to do, warn every woman away from Darcy in the hopes he would return to her in the end after all? Still, she didn't deserve to be used and thrown aside. This must have been what the snatch of conversation Lizi had heard between Karo and Darcy on Lydia's birthday was about.

"Well, thanks for the heads-up but you don't need to worry about me. I have no interest in Darcy, and the feeling is mutual."

"You say that now but when he starts _taking_ an interest in you it's hard to resist, all the more so because he was disinterested initially. It's kind of his M.O. Even already knowing this I…" Karo shrugged.

"Karo, you could do a lot better than Will Darcy."

Karo patted her hand and answered in a tone of voice one would use on a silly child, "Sweaty, there is _no one_ better than Will Darcy."

Feeling that to try to convince Karo otherwise was a hopeless cause, Lizi decided that as long as they were talking she might as well see what she could learn regarding another matter and asked, "Karo do you know anything about Darcy firing John Wicks?"

"That guy is _a scumbag_. Will _hates_ him. I don't know what he did, but I'm sure Will was better to him than he deserved." Apparently, even when Karo was trash talking Darcy, she had her limits.

While it seemed a remarkable coincidence that both John and Karo had spoken to her on the same subject within such a short amount of time; coincidence was the only way she could account for it.

.~.~.~.~.

The next night Darcy's party came for dinner. Lizi returned Gigi's book to him and thanked him for the loan. After what she had learned she didn't want to talk to Darcy, but she remembered John's warning and forced herself to be polite. She didn't want to lose her job. This far into the summer it would be hard to find a new one.

"You read quickly. Did you enjoy it?"

"Yes, thank you."

"How did it compare to the original?"

"Well, the original didn't have vampires… please excuse me I think one of my tables is ready to order." Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Karo nod.

Thank goodness it was a busy night and Darcy's party wasn't in her section.

She managed to avoid talking to Darcy or any of his party the rest of the night but the next day he came for breakfast and stayed there working until the end of her shift. It happened again the next time she was on the breakfast/lunch shift and even a third time. Lizi considered it exceptionally bad luck that he came on the days she was working and always seemed to be seated in her section. Doubly bad luck was that it was never busy enough that they needed the table which might have induced him to leave. Who came to the shore and then spent the whole day working in a restaurant?

At least he was working, and she never needed to say much to him. She had learned he would signal her when he wanted to order, and she just refilled his coffee cup whenever it was low to save herself talking to him even if only to ask if he wanted more.

She had just taken breakfast orders from a large family when she passed Darcy's table, and he looked up at her, "Whenever you have time."

"OK."

She put in all the orders. When she brought Darcy's food to his table he looked at her and raised an eyebrow, "I didn't realize I was so predictable."

Lizi felt her face warm. She had never taken his order! "I'm sorry. I'll get you something else if you don't want it."

"No, I do. I appreciate your efficiency, but another time I may surprise you and order something else."

"Of course. It won't happen again."

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy sat considering his breakfast. If Lizi knew his order by heart, he probably shouldn't come so often when she was on. He didn't want her thinking anything could happen between them. She would be inappropriate. They were from different worlds. So what was it about her that kept him coming back? Maybe it was simply that she didn't fit neatly into any of the categories he had for women. She was a low-level employee, the sort of person he normally wouldn't have any contact with unless there was an issue. She wasn't part of his social circle, but as long as her sister was dating Chad they would run into each other from time to time, and that was the real problem. He preferred to keep his sexual encounters simple. Until now he had taken pride in never feeling any sort of attraction to an employee. He considered men who got involved in sexual harassment cases to be weak-willed. Even if, as an employee, Lizi felt free to say no to him (and he was pretty sure she _would_ feel free to say no), there was too much potential for things to get messy. Even if they set up ground rules, she might form an emotional attachment or imagine their encounter could be repeated. Things could get complicated quickly having sex with someone you were connected with in other ways. So, he would just have to get control of himself. There was no reason his attraction couldn't be overcome. After all, a sexual appetite was not so different than an appetite for food. When you craved something that wasn't good for you, you just had to be satisfied with something else.

Still, it couldn't hurt to enjoy her company. It was nice to work in here and have her nearby. She was very considerate to refill his coffee without interrupting his work. He watched as Lizi delivered an order to Mr. Wood, one of their regular customers. Mr. Wood was notorious for being extremely fussy, and Lizi was bringing him his order after he had already returned his food three times. Darcy wouldn't have blamed her if she'd dropped the order in the customer's lap, but instead, she smiled saying brightly, "Now Mr. Wood I personally supervised the poaching of these eggs. They were cooked for precisely three minutes and forty-five seconds, and I did not let them sit for one moment before bringing them to you. If we haven't cooked them to your liking this time, I am afraid I may have to ask you to come out in the kitchen and teach our chef to do it properly." To Darcy's amazement, Mr. Wood laughed. He had never seen the man so much as smile before. Even more astonishing was that he ate his breakfast with no further complaint. Surely if anyone else had said something like that, the man would have been affronted. That was another thing about Lizi there was a mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner which made it difficult to be offended by anything she said. Even Mr. Wood had fallen under her spell, and if Darcy weren't careful, he would be bewitched by her himself.

When Lizi came back to collect Darcy's plate Mr. Wood had gone, and Darcy said, "You handled Mr. Wood well. You didn't really supervise Frank did you?"

"I wouldn't lie to a customer, Mr. Darcy."

"No, of course not."

"Though I may have stretched the truth a little in saying I supervised him. I did, however, standby and time the eggs."

That she had convinced Frank to let her do this, was almost as surprising as her getting Mr. Wood to laugh. "It was kind of you to humor him."

"I didn't do it to humor him. I'm glad when I can make him happy. He was a chef himself. Now his kids don't want him cooking because he's likely to forget the gas is on. He's not allowed to drive anymore and even walking his kids don't like him going too far on his own. He comes here for breakfast because it's close to his house. I suppose when you don't have a lot of choices little things, like having your eggs cooked the way you want them, become important. It only takes a little extra effort to please him. I think he just wants doesn't want to be ignored. No one likes to be treated as if they aren't important."

"I didn't realize you knew him."

"Only from his coming in for breakfast."

"Then how do you know so much about him?"

"Oh, I have crafty way of learning things about people, I call it 'listening.'"

"He told you all this?"

"Yes." With that, she turned away leaving Darcy to ponder that a stranger would tell her so much about himself.

.~.~.~.~.

The days drifted by as summer days do. Jane usually went out with Chad once or twice a week. Lizi occasionally spent time with John Wicks. He came for dinner on one of her father's weekend visits. On one of these occasions, she asked him how well he knew the Bartleys.

"You would think I would know them well, but I don't. They are close friends of Darcy and I never really got the chance. Chad always seemed like a nice kid though."

"He's a nice guy. I can't get over that he's such good friends with Darcy."

"Darcy can be very agreeable to those he thinks are worth his time. People in his 'inner circle' often say nice things about him."

"He's not very nice to Karo. It seems like he's nice enough to Chad most of the time, but he's kind of… I don't know a bit dictatorial or overprotective or something. It's kind of weird."

"I'm not surprised; Chad's father is a close business associate of Darcy. So I guess they have to put up with it."

"I wonder that Darcy shares a house with them. He must be able to afford his own."

"Hell, he could afford his own _island_ , but I think the house has sentimental value to him."

"That's a word I never expected to hear associated with Darcy."

John laughed, "He has _some_ human feelings. He loved his parents, in his way, and he's very protective of his sister."

"What's his sister like?"

"She was a sweet kid. She loved me when she was little, but once Darcy became her guardian, I didn't see any more of her. Now, she's gotten to be a lot like her brother. Or, that's what I hear anyway."

"That's too bad."

"Yea, it is."

"Sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up. It must upset you to talk about Darcy."

"I don't mind talking to _you_. Most people aren't as understanding as you are."

"On a somewhat related note: How is your job search going?"

"I sent out a bunch of resumes, thanks again for your help by the way, but I haven't heard anything back yet."

"Well, it hasn't been that long sometimes it takes a while."

"I'm just worried about not being able to give a reference for Fitzgigi's. I can't exactly say I was fired because the owner hates me. Who would believe me?"

"It didn't keep you from getting the mail-room job or the lifeguard job."

"Yea but a friend recommended me for the mail room, and they have tryouts for Lifeguarding.

Lizi frowned, "Maybe we shouldn't list Fitzgigi's at all. Just list the mail-room and lifeguard jobs."

"I don't know it feels like I'd be lying by omission and I'm a terrible liar. I'm afraid I'd feel so guilty about it that I'd give them the idea I was hiding something."

Even at the idea of lying, he got fidgety. This was such a marked change from his usual mannerisms that Lizi realized he would never be able to pull it off. "OK, bad idea. How about this. If anyone asks for a reference from Fitzgigi's tell them the manager you worked under is retired, and you haven't kept in touch with him. That's true right?"

John brightened. "Yea, it is."

"Right, so that's all you need to say, no need to elaborate. If they press, you can say most of the employees at Fitzgigi's are there for the summer, and there's a high turn-over rate. Which is also true."

He gave her a dazzling smile. "That's brilliant, Lizi, I never would have thought of it."

She rolled her eyes at this remark but answered seriously, "I'm sure you'll find something soon. Then you can put all this Darcy business behind you once and for all 'The best revenge is living well.'"

.~.~.~.~.

One morning Carla joined Lizi at the beach saying, "I saw John Wicks at Bum Rogers with Mary King last night."

"Who's Mary King?"

"A renter. Her family is here for a couple of weeks."

"Oh."

"They were having dinner together. They were dancing too."

"What of it?"

Carla only gave her a penetrating stare and Lizi spoke again, "What? We've only been out a few times. It's not like we've got some epic romance going, I just enjoy his company. He's free to go out with whoever he wants to. So am I."

"She paid."

"And?"

"You don't think that's a little weird?"

"For a guy to let a girl pay if she wants to? No. Besides he's not exactly in a position to turn down a free meal."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I just don't think he has a lot of money."

"Hmmm…."

Lizi hadn't told Jane or Carla what John Wicks had said about Darcy. He hadn't asked her not to repeat what he said, but he hadn't given her permission either. Anyway, Jane would only try to explain it as some misunderstanding that left neither of them to blame and Carla…well, Carla wasn't as bad as Lucas, but she was more impressed by Darcy's wealth than Lizi thought was good for her.

"Would you be this concerned about John if you didn't know Darcy dislikes him?"

Carla gave it some thought. "Maybe not. He seems like a nice enough guy. But the thing is I _do_ know Darcy doesn't like him and I can't take that out of the equation. Anyway, it would be better not to give Darcy any reason to doubt your judgement."

"Why would I care what Darcy thinks of my judgement?"

"Think about it. Darcy has a lot of influence in the business world. You may want to apply for a job at one of his companies someday."

"Well I doubt Darcy goes through the entry level job applications and weeds out those who are friends with someone he doesn't like."

Carla laughed but answered seriously, "He's in Fitgigi's enough it might even be possible to use him as a reference. Think about _that_ before you dismiss his opinions too casually. A reference from Will Darcy would really make you stand out from the crowd."

"I'm satisfied with a reference from Lucas. I'd rather get a job on my own merit than because of a connection."

"Well, I'm not an idealist, I need to get a decent job and I'm not to proud to use anything that will give me a competitive edge."

Lizi didn't want to get into an argument about it so she tried to chance the subject. "What classes are you taking in the fall?"

Carla groaned, "Don't remind me, I hate when we get to this point where there's less summer ahead of us than behind, and all the back to school stuff starts."

"Sorry, I was just trying to start a conversation that's not about men."

Carla smiled. "Is Jane working today? I thought she was off."

"And we're right back to men. She's at Chad's. His parents are here for the week, and he wanted her to meet them."

"Sounds serious."

Lizi chose to ignore that comment and said, "Later Chad is taking Jane, his parents, and my parents all out to dinner. My father's here this weekend."

"To announce their engagement?"

"No!"

"How do you know? He could have asked her today. You don't have your phone you never bring it to the beach."

"They haven't even known each other a full two months."

"Sometimes you just know."

"If you don't stop I'm going to talk about school!"

"Fine let's go for a swim."

"OK."

As they stood up, Carla gave her an evil grin and said in a singsong voice, "Jane and _Chad_ sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g…"

Lizi covered her ears and ran toward the water shouting, "Back to School! Back to School!"

They ran into the ocean and dove in laughing. Lizi actually agreed with Carla about the back to school stuff. At least they had Chad's Bonfire Beach Bash to look forward to. He had gotten the permit to have a fire on the beach. It was still more than a week away.

.~.~.~.~.

Texts on Jane's phone:

Jane: I'm so sorry!

Chad: No prob

Chad: Just a mix-up.

Jane: I had no idea my mom thought that.

Jane: You should let us pay you back.

Chad: Really its fine!

Chad: Please dont worry abut it.

Chad: I mean about. Turned off my auto corrct -too many arros. ;)

Jane: LOL Are you sure its ok?

Chad: Totally. My parents liked meeting u.

Jane: Even after dinner?

Chad: LOL. Of course.

Chad: Pleasant dreams.

Jane: Thanks. You too :)

.~.~.~.~.

When Lizi got home from work, Jane was in their room lying on the bed. Lizi knew immediately that something was wrong. "Jane, what is it? Did something happen with Chad's parents?"

"No, they were very nice. We had lunch on the deck with the others and then we spent some time on the beach."

"And dinner?"

"Mom and Dad were supposed to meet us at the restaurant. But somehow mom got the idea that the invitation was for everybody. You were at work of course, but Mary, Kat, and Lydia were all with them."

 _No!_ "Oh, _Jane_! I had no idea. I would have told her it wasn't for everybody!" In fact, Lizi found it suspicious that her mom hadn't said anything while she was there.

"I know you would have. So, Chad said it was fine of course, but then he had to change the reservation from six people to nine, and they did their best to accommodate us, but we had a long wait because of it. Chad had specifically chosen The Neatherly Inn because they take reservations, so we wouldn't have a long wait, and everyone was hungry. I felt so bad.

"Plus we were standing around practically taking up the whole waiting area, so Chad suggested our parents wait at the bar where they could sit down, and we could stay with Lydia and Kat, but Chad went in long enough to put the drinks on his card. I think Mom had a couple of drinks and then they all ordered Lobster, well not Dad, he ordered some kind of hot dog mac and cheese thing." Their Father always ordered the oddest thing he could find on the menu. For a short time as a child, Lizi had done the same, but she soon decided it wasn't that funny and she'd rather eat something she actually wanted.

Jane continued, "I mean, I know it was an honest mistake that they all came, but I did hope that having made it they would try to keep the bill down. Everyone got dessert too."

"You must have been so embarrassed."

"I was embarrassed about the mistake. I should have made sure it was clear who was invited, but mostly I felt bad that Chad was paying for _all_ of us."

"How did our sister's behave?"

"Oh, you know how Kat and Lydia get when they're hungry."

"Whinny."

Jane neither agreed to nor protested against the term. "Once we had our food their spirits improved."

"With Kat and Lydia that isn't always a good thing."

"They weren't so bad, except for constantly texting during the meal but they've never been taught not to."

"Did they take selfies?"

"No, at least they didn't do that… but there was one thing."

"You may as well tell me everything."

"Mom had a drink, and Lydia took it and was drinking it herself. No one noticed but Mary and, she was right to say something of course but…"

"I'm guessing she wasn't subtle about it."

"No, and mom thought it was funny. Chad was sitting across from Lydia, so he reached over and took the drink away. He said something about being the host and not wanting to serve alcohol to a minor. He was very sweet about it, but he shouldn't have had to take care of it."

"No, Mom or Dad should have dealt with it."

Lizi wished she could say something to make Jane feel better, but there was nothing to say. She was embarrassed herself just hearing about it, and she knew that if things seemed this bad to Jane, they must have been even worse than Jane described. Jane didn't criticize her family without good reason. The only consolation Lizi could think of was that Darcy and Chad's sisters weren't there, but that wouldn't be much comfort to Jane.

Finally, she thought of something, "It was nice of Chad to be so understanding. He's really a good guy."

Jane agreed, and she showed Lizi the texts they had exchanged.

"Well, there you are. On the upside, he's seen the worst of your family, and he still likes you so he must _really_ like you."

With this Lizi succeeded in drawing a smile from Jane and she asked about Chad's parents. She wasn't surprised to learn that Jane's impression of them had been positive. They continued to speak of Chad's family, his good qualities and Jane's modest hopes (which Lizi did as much as she could to encourage) until they heard Lydia and Kat coming up the stairs.

.~.~.~.~.

When Darcy emerged from his morning swim on Sunday morning, Ryan was sitting in one of the Adirondack chairs they kept on the beach. Ryan was Chad's father, but it had been many years since Darcy had thought of him as "Mr. Bartley". After Darcy's own father had died, he had quickly learned to think of Ryan as an equal, a college and a friend, rather than an authority figure.

Ryan handed Darcy a towel, "Do you have time to talk?"

"Sure. What's up?" Darcy toweled off and took the seat next to him.

"What can you tell me about Jane Bennet?"

"She's nice. She's diligent, patient with problem customers. There's not much more to say about her. Chad sees her once or twice a week and from what I can tell there hasn't been any drama. Do you have a specific concern?"

"It may be nothing, but we were to have dinner with her parents, Janice and Thomas Bennet, last night. When we got to the restaurant, all her sisters were there as well."

"I thought Lizi was working last night."

"There's _another_ one?"

"There are five of them all together."

"I see. Well then all, but one, were there." He went on to tell Darcy the details of the dinner. "Janice apologized for the mistake and, I could be wrong, but it didn't strike me as sincere, the youngest two seemed to think it was all very funny and Thomas offered to pay part of the bill but it was a half-hearted attempt at best, he almost made a joke out of offering. It made me wonder if they are the type of family to… take advantage."

Darcy gave it some thought before answering. "I haven't seen enough of most of the family to judge. It does seem that if it were truly a mistake, they would try to keep the bill down or make more of a point of paying. To be fair, I don't believe Jane to be the kind of girl to do this sort of thing. From what I can tell Chad has hardly spent any money at all on her beyond the occasional ice-cream or miniature golf game. They might have gone to a movie once but usually, they just walk around or meet during the day and hang out on the beach."

"Jane did seem extremely embarrassed. I think she ordered the cheapest thing on the menu, only drank water and Chad couldn't convince her to order dessert or even to take more than a bite of his."

"What did you think of her family in general?" Darcy had his own reasons for asking this in addition to their mutual concern for Chad. He wondered if Ryan had gotten the same impression he had. He almost hoped…

"The mother is a bit … _much_. It's like she's so eager to make a good impression she goes too far, almost as if she was flirting with all of us. Thomas, I can't say much about except that he made some rather cutting remarks about his wife and daughters, which may have been deserved but not the sort of thing I like to hear aired so publicly, and he made no attempt at control. The middle sister…"

"Mary?"

"Yes that one, she's not so bad, a little weird maybe. The youngest two were texting all through dinner. Maybe I'm just old fashion, but I find it rude not to pay any attention to one's host. Also, The Neatherly has live music, and once they finished eating, they were up dancing. Which is not such a big deal but they soon had a group of college guys up dancing with them, and they were… well, I guess I shouldn't judge, but I wouldn't have let my daughters behave that way. Thomas seemed to find it amusing."

"I got a similar impression of them."

"I admit their behavior does give me some concern. If this is the way they behave on a first meeting what would they be like at Chad and Jane's wedding for example?"

"His Wedding!" for a moment Darcy was too shocked by the idea to say more, but then he continued, "Is there any reason to think things are that serious between them?"

"I was hoping you could tell me."

Darcy took a deep breath, "I'm afraid I haven't been paying as much attention as I should have been. I know Chad likes her quite a bit, but I hadn't given it much thought beyond that."

"No of course, why would you? I just worry, he's finally back on track academically, and I wouldn't want to see him get hurt again."

"Neither would I. I'll pay closer attention. We have the beach party next week. That will give me a chance to watch them together and see if I think he's in any danger."

"You're a good friend."

"Not at all, Chad's helped me through a lot."

Ryan patted him on the back, and they returned to the house together.

* * *

 _A/N: This started out as much shorter chapter. Every time I thought it was done I'd walk away and then something else would come to me that a character wanted to do or say. Now I'm posting so I hope it's really done! ;)_

 _If you don't like the choices I'm making for the characters I hope you are willing to hang in until you see how it all plays out. I've tried to give more insight into why Lizi believes certain things but it can't really be explained until she questions it herself._

Up next: Family Meeting


	9. Family Meeting

_a/n: Maybe I should have divided things a little differently. This chapter now seems kind of skimpy compared to the last but here it is:_

* * *

"Lizzy, I want you and Jane to come right home after work, we are having a family meeting tonight." Her father didn't usually look so serious.

"We never have those. What's going on?"

"We're going to have to sell the shore house. We had hoped to hang on to it until you were all older but with Mary starting college this fall we just can't make it work, and we can't risk another storm." Mary would be going to Montclair State College. She would need to live on campus so her expenses would be higher and she hadn't managed any scholarships. She tested well in general and got high grades but she wasn't good with essay questions, and she didn't interview well.

"We found a buyer," he continued, "we'll be closing just after Labor Day. The buyer is purchasing it to live in year round."

"I see." Lizi was very disappointed. She loved summers at the shore. Plus she had just gotten one of the best summer jobs on the island and had a good chance of being able to go back there next summer. But if they couldn't afford it they couldn't afford it. There was nothing to be done and no point in making her Dad feel worse.

"I know you're disappointed Lizi."

"Yea, but I understand. Really. I can find a job near home next summer."

"Thank you, Lizi."

"Now that I know, do I still have to come to the family meeting?"

"Of course you do. I'm counting on you to help me break the news to your sisters."

"But mom knows right?"

"Yes, she's been the one making the appointments with the realtor when people want to see the house."

"You must have been planning this for a while then."

"We wanted you girls to have one last summer without worrying about it."

"I see." Privately Lizi thought it would have been better to know early on, but there was no point in arguing about it now. She was only glad they weren't closing before Labor Day, and she would be able to stay at her job as she had agreed. What would she and her sisters have done about their jobs if her parents had found a buyer early in the summer that wanted to close right away? "So, you're not leaving tonight then?"

"I'll leave late, or first thing in the morning."

"I see." It probably depended on how her sisters reacted. Lizi didn't doubt he'd leave tonight if there were a lot of drama.

Her father picked up a book and headed for the front porch. After a few minutes, Lizi joined him. "Hey, Dad?"

"Hmm?"

"About the dinner, last night, couldn't you have done anything to stop Mom from bringing the others?"

"Your mother and sisters are determined to make themselves ridiculous. If I put a stop to one of their schemes, they will just come up with something else. In most cases, I find its best not to risk making things worse."

That wasn't exactly fair the girls probably didn't even know they weren't invited. She was almost sure that Kat and Lydia would have rather gone to the boardwalk anyway, and Mary wasn't the most socially adept person, but Lizi couldn't see her intentionally crashing a dinner party. Besides, it must have cut into her reading time.

"Maybe, but Jane felt bad that the bill was so much more than Chad must have expected."

"I'm sure Chad can afford it, if he couldn't, he would have taken me up on my offer to pay our share."

"The whole evening could not have made the best impression on Chad's parents."

"If Chad's family can't put up with a little absurdity its better Jane learns that now. If they think anything less of her for having a silly family they are not worth her time."

He returned to his book, and Lizi took the hint that the conversation was over. Surely Chad wouldn't think less of Jane for what had happened, but Lizi was still unhappy about her family's behavior. She was close to her father, but it wasn't the first time she had wished he would take the trouble to exert a little control over his family.

.~.~.~.~.

The family meeting went about as Lizi might have expected. Jane was disappointed but understanding. Mary was sorry for the news but said she might want to take classes over the summer anyway. Lydia and Kat argued, complained, broke into tears, and shouted that it wasn't fair. Their mother had presumably been in on the plan, (since she was meeting with the realtor) but in the face of her daughters' disappointment, she argued against it as much as they did.

Lydia suddenly shouted at Mary, "It's your fault for going away to school!"

"That's not fair." Jane told her, "Mom and Dad are paying a lot of money for _all_ of us to go to college."

"Easy for you to say!" said Lydia, "You're almost through college; me and Kat haven't had summers at the shore like you have!"

"Besides" Kat added, "Chad will probably invite you to stay with _him_ next summer!"

"There's no reason to think he will."

"Of course he will!" Proclaimed their mother, "What a happy idea, Kat, I know he will invite Jane and then Jane can insist on his inviting her sisters."

This was too much for Lizi. "Mom! You can't ask Jane to do something like that even if he does invite her!"

"I couldn't impose on him like that."

"Oh, but he may very well think of it himself."

"It's all settled then." Declared their father, "We will depend on Chad's having a sudden desire to fill his house with a group of silly girls. I believe I will drive home tonight after all."

With that, he grabbed his bag and car keys and headed out the door.

Lizi knew she couldn't let her mother latch on to the idea of Chad inviting them.

"Mom, don't forget the part of the house we were in belongs to the Darcys. The Bartleys have much less room. It's likely the rest of his family wouldn't want us all there."

"Well, I suppose you couldn't all go at once. If only your father weren't so cruel."

This was as close to a concession as Lizi was going to get and if it came at the expense of justice to her father, she was not inclined to argue the point. She and Jane headed up to their room soon after this to discuss the matter quietly, but it was not long before Kat and Lydia stomped up the steps to their own room, slammed the door twice and broke into loud sobs that kept their sisters up late into the night.

.~.~.~.~.

A few days after the family meeting Lizi was on the breakfast-lunch shift when her mother came in with Laine, Lucas and Carla's mom, for an early Lunch. Given the way fate had been working against her she wasn't surprised that they were seated in her section only a few tables away from Darcy.

"Hi mom, hi Mrs… I mean Lanie, sorry I'm still getting used to calling you by your first name."

Lanie smiled, "Hi Lizi, I'm sorry to hear your family is giving up the house. I'll miss you girls next summer, so will Carla."

"Thanks, we'll miss you all too." She took their drink orders and left them to look over the lunch menu.

No sooner had she walked away then her mother began telling Lanie about their dinner at Neatherly Inn and describing how superior the food was to Fitzgigi's. How she could compare them when she had never ordered Lobster here Lizi didn't know.

Lizi grabbed their ice-teas and hurried back to the table. "Mom!" she whispered, darting her eyes in Darcy's direction.

"Well, what of it. I'm entitled to my own opinion."

"He is Lucas' boss," said Lanie quietly, "and the girl's boss too in a way."

"Well…"

"Are you ready to order? Asked Lizi brightly, "Or do you need a few more minutes?"

Her mother clearly hadn't given Lanie a chance to look at the menu, but she glanced at it quickly then said, "I think I'm ready but tell me what the lunch specials are today Lizi. I forgot to look at the board."

Lizi gave her a grateful smile and told them the specials. Lanie ordered one of them, and her mother was forced to order as well, but the reprieve was short-lived. When Lizi came back from placing the orders, her mother was bragging about Chad and Jane. How nice it would be for Jane, who was going to be a teacher and have summers off, to have a boyfriend with a place at the shore, especially now that they were losing the shore-house… sure he would want to invite her sisters from time to time… Chad at Princeton… sure to have a lucrative career… very well off… Jane so pretty…ect.

Darcy pretended to be working, but Lizi could tell he was listening to the conversation and his expression grew more and more grave. Would it make things better or worse if she went over and "accidentally" spilled a pitcher of water on her mother? _Note to self: make sure my next job is a place mom never goes_.

Her mom was still talking when the order was ready, "I wish your daughter equal luck, but Carla is the kind of girl who doesn't _need_ a boyfriend."

Her mom made that sound like a bad thing. Lizi wanted to defend her friend but her mother finally stopped talking, and she didn't want to set her off again. Instead, she rolled her eyes at Lanie and gave her a sympathetic smile as if to say, "What can you do?"

The only good thing about her mother's chatter was that Lizi had some hope it would distract Darcy from whatever was going on with Darleen, the other waitress who was on today. Lizi didn't know her very well, but she could tell something was wrong. She looked bedraggled, and she had disappeared into the ladies room a few times. Lizi tried to keep an eye on her tables and cover for her if it looked like her customers wanted something when she wasn't around. She seemed to improve as the day went on, but sometimes she looked a little green when delivering the food or bussing the tables.

At two o'clock when most of the lunch crowd had cleared out Darcy approached her. "Lizi, I need to talk to Darleen for a few minutes. Can you cover her tables?"

"Yes."

He went over to Darleen and said something quietly that Lizi couldn't hear. The girl's face seemed to go even paler. They both disappeared, presumably into Lucas' small office off the Kitchen. When they came out about twenty minutes later, she looked like she'd been crying and headed quickly for the stairs. Lizi was about to dart after her, but Darcy stepped in front of her, and she remembered that she couldn't just run off when she was the only waitress.

"Lizi, Darleen isn't feeling well, are you OK alone for the rest of the shift or should I let Lucas know he needs to get someone else in."

"No, I'm fine, the shift isn't much longer, and hardly anyone comes in at this time, but is Darlene OK?"

"She will be."

"Is anything wrong other than her not feeling well?"

"Is she a friend of yours?"

"Not really, but I'm still worried about her."

"That is understandable, but I think if she wants you to know she will tell you herself."

 _Jerk._ OK, maybe he was right, but it still irked her. It wasn't so much what he said as the way he said it. He made it sound like she was being nosey. She was just _concerned_.

"Thank you for covering the rest of the shift."

"Sure."

She walked away and busied herself straightening place settings that didn't need to be straightened. There wasn't any resetting to be done between lunch and dinner. Finally, the later shift people started to arrive, and Darcy went away. Lizi didn't have Darleen's phone number or know where she lived. She would have to wait to talk to her until they were on together again. But the only other time that week they were scheduled together Darleen called in sick. When the schedule was posted, for the next week, Darleen's name had disappeared.

Nobody was saying anything about her. Had Darcy fired her? If so, John Wicks was totally right about him!

* * *

 _A/N: As always thanks for reading and many thanks to those who reviewed._

 _Up Next: Bonfire Beach Bash (part 1)_


	10. Bonfire Beach Bash

Bingley placed a stack of bright green flyers on the coffee table. They proclaimed "Bonfire Beach Bash" in large bold letters and included a picture of a palm tree (as required for all beach party flyers even on the East Coast) and a picture of a parrot lounging in a beach chair.

"Oh, good," said Darcy dryly. "I was afraid we wouldn't have enough publicity."

"It's not like I'm going to post them all over the Island. I'm just giving them out to the people we invite, our neighbors, some of the lifeguards, the Bennets, the staff at Fitzgigi's…"

"The mailman, the guy at the ice cream shop, anyone who randomly said hi to you on the boardwalk…"

"I would like it better," said Karo, "If we kept the party to a small intimate group, just the five of us for example."

Darcy had only been teasing Chad. Sometimes Karo's attempts to agree with him made things sound stupid. He didn't mind that Chad invited so many people. It made for a party so big that no one noticed if Darcy talked to them or not.

Chad replied, "Maybe you would, but I would hardly call that a party."

"You ought to consider that some people get overwhelmed in a large crowd."

"If you mean Darcy, he can go up to his room if he gets overwhelmed, no one will bother him up there."

"So your idea of a compromise," said Darcy, "Is that I pay for half the party, most of whom are people you invite, and then stay in my room."

Chad grinned, "Exactly, a win-win."

Karo rolled her eyes, "Will is actually paying for more than half the party, Chad, by closing Fitzgigi's for the day he is giving up the revenue. He is generous to excess."

"It was my father's tradition, and my grandfather's, to give the staff off and throw a party each year. It is not something I wish to change." He didn't know why her words had annoyed him so much.

As usual, Chad lightened the mood, "But now that you've joined forces with me the party is a lot more fun."

"And more alliterative, speaking of joining forces, I need to be away this weekend. Can you follow up with the caterer and the bar-tender?"

"Sure thing."

The party used to be held at Fitzgigi's but when Darcy took over Chad had suggested they move it to the beach and expand the guest list to include friends. Darcy had decided not to have Fitzgigi's supply the food.

Karo pouted, " _Another_ meeting on a weekend?"

"It is unavoidable."

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi got a ride with Carla's family to the Bonfire Beach Bash so she wouldn't have to squeeze into the backseat with four of her sisters. Once her mother found out Carla's mom was going, she had decided to go as well, and even Mary was up for a party. They all arrived at the same time.

Chad and Darcy were at a table on the porch giving out bracelets before people headed down to the beach.

"Janet, Lanie," Chad greeted their mothers, "I'll need to see some ID for you girls."

Lanie only shook her head at the obvious flattery, but Lizi's mom tittered as if he were really flirting with her.

"Who is driving?" Darcy asked. "If you take a red bracelet I'll need your keys."

Jane held up the car keys, but Lizi said, "I'll drive home. I can't drink anyway. We can just go home in two groups or something."

"Oh, you're almost…"

Thinking Chad was about to make an exception for her Lizi gave a quick shake of her head and darted her eyes toward Lydia and Kat. Chad got the message and changed what he was about to say, "almost set. Here are yellow bracelets for you Lizi, Mary, Kat, Lydia."

Lydia frowned as she took hers but didn't complain. Lizi was relieved that Chad had caught on. She knew what a fuss Kat and Lydia would make if she got an exception and they didn't. Darcy probably wouldn't have let him do it anyway. To be honest, she didn't blame him. You could get in a lot of trouble for serving someone underage. She didn't mind abstaining. She could take alcohol or leave it.

When they got to the beach, Lizi was surprised to see an actual buffet table set up with warming trays and everything, in addition to a bar and a table with soft drinks. She knew there would be food, but if she had thought about it at all, she would have expected something more like hot dogs and chips. There was a long line, so she, Jane, and Carla decided to wander around for a while. They ran into a lot of people from work, and it was about half an hour later that Chad caught up with them. By then they had gotten separated from Carla. Chad was wearing about twenty bracelets on each arm.

Lizi laughed, "How much are you planning to drink?"

"Oh, no, we figured most people are here by now, but if anybody needs a bracelet, they'll come looking for me. You don't have drinks can I get you something?"

"I'll come with you," Jane said, "Lizi?"

"You two go ahead. I think I'll get some food."

Watching them walk away Lizi thought how nice it would be if John Wicks were here. It had been a while since she'd seen him. She didn't take his interest in her seriously, but it would have been fun to have someone to flirt with at the party. Of course, it was impossible that he would have been invited given Darcy's involvement.

Lizi filled her plate, wandered to the edge of the crowd and found a place to sit in the sand and eat her food. Someone would join her eventually, or she'd finish eating and then socialize some more.

"May I join you?"

 _Crap it was Darcy._ "It's a public beach, sort of."

Darcy took a seat next to her. He had a plate of food and a drink with him. He glanced at her wrist, "Thank you for understanding, at a party like this it's not a good idea to make exceptions."

"No worries."

He made no reply, and Lizi was determined not to give him any encouragement, so she didn't say anything either. For a while, it looked as if they would sit there eating in silence until one of them got up and left. Then it occurred to Lizi that he had probably found a space at the edge of the crowd because he didn't _want_ to socialize and she might get rid of him sooner if she forced him to talk. What could he do summer was over in a couple of weeks anyway.

"Chad throws a great party."

"Chad and I threw this party together."

"Oh, I didn't know that."

They were silent again for some time until Lizi said, "I should have warned you that if you sat with me, you would be required to make conversation. Now that you know I won't be offended if you choose to leave but if you stay, it is your turn to say something."

"What books have you read this summer?"

"Oh, no, we can't talk about books. That is too likely to lead to a deeper discussion. Parties are for small talk."

Darcy smiled, "Don't you find it difficult to come up with a series of meaningless things to say?"

"Sometimes I do, but the rules must be obeyed."

"Perhaps before I make another attempt you should explain the rules. Or simply tell me what you would like me to say and I will be happy to oblige."

"You could comment on what a nice night it is for a party, or say something about the size of the crowd."

"May I ask you about your summer?"

"Yes, but only if you ask questions that will lead to no more than ideal chatter."

Darcy actually looked like he was giving some thought to what he should say next, "Did you get to the boardwalk very often while you were here?"

"Often enough, sometimes with Jane or Carla and a handful of times with John Wicks."

Even in the dying light, she could see his expression darken, "John Wicks!"

"Yes, I believe you know him, you were with us when we first met him."

"I do know him. He… Lizi, you should not trust him."

"He said the same thing about you."

"I'm sure he did."

"Then how am I to judge which if either of you I _can_ trust."

"Our characters must speak for themselves."

"Then it is lucky we have been talking long enough that I may ask deeper questions in an attempt to get to know you."

"You have known me all summer."

"And yet I feel as if I do not know you at all."

"What would you like to know?"

Lizi paused wondering if she dared push him too far, _screw it_ , "It must be a lot of responsibility to be in charge of a large company like Darcy enterprises."

He seemed to relax a little, "It is."

"So many people's livelihoods depend on you, and there are so many people who need jobs. You must have to be very careful to choose the right people."

"That's true, but I only get involved in hiring on the highest levels. For example, I hired Lucas, but he hired everyone else."

"I suppose the same is true of the people you fire."

"It is. Unless there are extenuating circumstances, I trust my managers to make those judgments. The same is true of promotions and demotions and many other decisions. It is not that I don't care about the people at lower levels, but I am responsible for too many companies to micromanage any of them. That's why, as you say, it's important to hire people I can trust and then leave them too it trusting they will let me know when there is a matter that needs my attention."

He seemed to be warming up to the subject. If she could keep him talking, he might say more than he meant to and speak about John Wicks, but she would have to be careful.

"Then …"

"LIZI!" Mary ran up looking hot and breathless, "Lizi, mom got knocked over by a wave, she wants to go home."

" _What_?"

"Mom got knocked over by a wave, and she wants to go home."

"No, I heard you, but how did she get knocked over by a wave? … wait never mind…I'll take her home." She had suddenly realized it might be better for Darcy not to hear that explanation. "Excuse me, Mr. Darcy. I'm afraid you will need to start a new conversation with someone else or sit in silence as you see fit."

He gave her a brief nod, and she walked off with Mary who said, "I'll come with you I'm ready to go, or do you want me to take her home?"

"Thanks," she was surprised Mary would offer this, she didn't like to drive, "but we'll need the car back here for the others, so it's probably easier if I do it."

Mary looked relieved.

"So," Lizzy asked, "What exactly was mom doing so close to the water that she got knocked over by a wave?"

"She was running back and forth after the waves. You know like we use to do as kids."

As _kids_ being the operative words and not at a party where no one else was in the water. " _Alone_?"

"No, she was playing with some kids." Ok, that was better, her mom could be fun around children.

Mary continued, "Then she turned to talk to someone, and she started talking about Jane and Chad and forgot to watch the ocean and got knocked over and tumbled around, plus she was wearing that big flowy dress, and she got all tangled up in it. A couple of lifeguards pulled her out, lucky they were invited and hadn't drunk too much."

Now Lizi was startled, "She could have gotten really hurt!"

"Yea."

By this time they had come to where Mary had left their mother. She was sitting on the beach wrapped in a towel.

"Mom!"

"Lizi, look what happened to me!"

She knelt down in front of her. "Mary told me. Are you badly hurt?" As soon the words were out of her mouth she realized it had been a stupid question. Her mother gave a low moan but luckily one of the lifeguards answered before she had a chance to say more.

"She's a little scraped up but no broken bones or anything. Mostly I think she's just shaken up. Just take her home and get her warm and she should be fine."

Now that she knew it wouldn't do any harm she gave her mother a big hug saying, "It's OK mom, we're going to take you home." Then addressing herself to the lifeguard, she added. "Thank you _so much_!"

"No problem it's what we do." He turned to her mother, "But be more careful in the future, Janice. OK? No turning your back on the ocean and stay away from the water when you have a lot of loose clothes on."

Her mother seemed to brighten a little. "You're such a nice boy."

 _Ought oh_ , they better get out of here before her mother recovered her wits and started flirting with the lifeguards on her daughters' behalf. She took her arm to help her up. "Come on let's get you home."

"I lost my shoes."

"Take my flip flops."

She could see Karo and Lois trying to repress giggles, _bitches_. As they walked away, she heard Karo offering to find the lifeguards some dry clothes. Chad and Jane were nowhere in sight.

Once they got their mom to the car, she texted Jane to let her know she was taking mom and Mary home and would be back. She didn't bother about the others, Lydia and Kat wouldn't be looking for her. Lizi took her mom home and got her settled. "I'll make you some hot chocolate."

"I can do that," said Mary, "You can get back if you want to. I'll read to her or something."

"Thanks." Lizi gave her sister a quick hug. Mary was having a good day. She wasn't usually this considerate. It was unlikely her mother would want to be read to, she usually preferred TV, but you never knew.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy was annoyed to have been interrupted just when the conversation was taking a turn for the better. How the hell had Janice Bennet gotten knocked over by a wave? Come to think of it was she OK? Surely Mary would have said if she was seriously injured. Still, he had better go check.

How had Lizi gotten involved with John Wicks and just how much time had she spent with him? What kind of lies had he been telling her and how could she be so incredibly foolish as to give any credit to what he said?

He took a deep breath. That wasn't fair. How could she know? And she had been asking him questions trying to learn more about his character. Clearly, her asking about his responsibilities for so many people's livelihoods was such an attempt and could only give her reason to trust him. John Wicks could barely hold down a job… but then he wouldn't tell her that, he'd make up some lie about some fabulous job, DAMN HIM! Still, she was smart, too smart to be fooled by him for long. She looked really nice in the sundress she was wearing tonight too, it showed off her legs…what was he doing? He had to stop letting her distract him like this. He was supposed to be keeping an eye on Chad tonight, and he had better go find out what had happened with Janice Bennet.

Hopefully, Lizi would figure out the truth about John Wicks before she could get hurt. He had warned her not to trust him. There wasn't much else he could do, but she wasn't so naive as some. She would figure it out.

 _STOP_ _THINKING ABOUT LIZI!_

* * *

 _AN: I shouldn't comment on my own performance but I kind of like the combination of Lizi's embarrassment and concern for her mother. Thanks as always for reading and for the reviews. Next up: More Beach Bash._


	11. More Beach Bash

_A/N: There must be some kind of glitch a number of reviews aren't showing up. (I did see them because I get an email from FF when someone reviews.) Oddly they are included in the count. Also, the reply urls don't work for those who were logged in. So, if you reviewed and noticed your review isn't here I did see it and appreciate it! I hope this will be resolved, somehow having them in email isn't the same._

 _I'm glad those of you who mentioned it found the Mrs. Bennet/wave incident funny. I was a little worried weather that would come off as funny or just seem dumb. In celebration of exceeding 100 reviews and in celebration of finishing my first (very ruff) draft of the "proposal" chapter, the party continues:_

* * *

Lizi returned to the party and spent a few hours socializing. She talked to several of her co-workers and was introduced to members of their families and other friends. Several times she spotted Chad and Jane together sometimes they were talking to other people, but just as often they were talking only to each other. She was searching the crowd for Carla when someone came up close enough to say in her ear, "I was afraid you had gone home."

"John!" She smiled, "I didn't think you would be here."

"Maybe I shouldn't have come but…" he shrugged, "You look nice."

"Thanks, how long have you been here?"

"An hour or two, Kat and Lydia said you were here, but I had almost lost hope of finding you."

"I guess I just wasn't where you were looking." She pointed to his wrist saying, "You didn't get a bracelet." Somehow he had gotten a beer without one.

"Yea well," he gave her a sheepish grin, "I'm kind of trying to keep a low profile."

"John Wicks!"

 _Shit_! Where had Darcy come from? He hadn't been there a moment ago.

"Listen, Darcy, I know we…" Whatever John had been about to say was cut off by Darcy punching him.

John stumbled backward. Once he regained his balance, he held out his hands in a placating position, "OK, obviously you aren't…"

Darcy punched him again. He fell. He tried to stand, but Darcy struck him a third time. Suddenly Chad was between them. He had a hold of Darcy. He pulled him away.

He spoke calmly, "Darcy, that's enough."

For a moment it didn't seem like his words had registered but then Darcy took a deep breath and seemed to calm down. Chad let him go but continued to stand between him and John. He placed a hand on Darcy's shoulder, "Go take a walk. I'll take care of it."

Darcy nodded and walked away without a word.

Chad turned to John and helped him to his feet, "If you show up here again, I'll let him kill you."

It had all happened so quickly that Lizi had been too stunned to react. Now she rushed to John's side while Chad turned to the crowd that had gathered around them saying, "Nothing more to see."

As people turned away, Lizi draped John's arm around her shoulders. She put her other arm around him and led him up the steps away from the beach. He was bleeding from his nose and his lip.

"We need to get you some ice."

"It's OK. I should just go."

"No. Just sit here for a minute." she led him to one of the chairs on the porch. "Just wait for me here I'll be fast I promise."

"OK."

She ran into Darcy's house and into the kitchen area. She searched frantically through the drawers until she found a dishtowel then grabbed a bunch of ice from the freezer, wrapped it in the towel, and returned to John.

"Thanks."

Lizi cringed in sympathy as he held the ice to his face.

"I would say you should see the other guy but…"

She gave him a small smile, "I should take you to the ER."

"No. I'll be ok, it's not as bad as it looks. I'll just head home and keep ice on it."

"At least let me drive you home."

"You're sweet to be so concerned, but I'm OK to drive. I hardly drank any of my beer."

"Even so I don't think you should be driving with your injuries. Your eye is already swelling up."

"Wait, what am I even thinking. I didn't drive here. I came with some of my housemates."

"Good, then you don't have a car to worry about. Just text them that you went home."

He smiled, "Alright then, if you're sure you don't mind."

She drove John home, got him settled with his ice pack, and made sure he had more ice in the freezer. Then she sat down next to him on the bed. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, I'm fine." He ran his fingers gently up and down her arm, "Thanks for taking care of me. It's almost worth getting the shit kicked out of me."

"Even after what you told me I can hardly believe he did that. He didn't even give you a chance to talk."

"You're a good person, Lizi. You expect the same from others. It's one of the things I really like about you, but you need to be careful about trusting some people. I wouldn't want to see you get hurt."

Her eyes met his, and for a moment they simply gazed at one another. She leaned forward. Her phone rang.

Lizi jumped and quickly checked her phone. "It's Jane, sorry I need to get this, I forgot to tell her I was leaving."

"No worries."

She answered the phone.

"Lizi, where are you?"

"I took John Wicks home. Sorry, I meant to text you, there was a lot going on."

"It's OK. Will you be back soon?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"Lydia and Kat found a way around the bracelet rule. They…They've had a lot to drink. I think we should take them home."

"Crap." This night was a disaster!

"Go ahead." John said softly, "its fine."

"I'll be back in like five minutes."

"Don't drive too fast."

"Fine, seven minutes."

They hung up.

"I'm really sorry."

"Go, its fine. Your sisters need you."

"I don't like leaving you like this. I can come back after I get them home."

"It's really fine. Someone will be home soon anyway. Go take care of your sisters. I understand. Like I said its part of what I like about you."

"I'll call you once I get them home; make sure someone is here with you."

"OK, but you really don't have to."

"I know."

She brushed a gentle kiss across his forehead.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi was barely out the door when John's phone rang with a call from Cindy. Good timing. Instead of answering he pressed her number.

She picked up. "I was just trying to call you. I heard you got in a fight! What happened?"

"Darcy happened. Sorry if I worried you, I couldn't find you, and my phone died. I came home to get the charger." He made his voice sound weak as if he were in pain but trying to seem as if he weren't.

"How did you get home?"

"Someone dropped me off."

"Are you OK?"

"I'm…yea. I'm OK."

"You don't sound OK."

"I…"

"What?"

"I hate to ask…"

"What is it?"

"It's just that no one else is here and I'm not sure I should go to sleep in case I have a concussion or something."

"I'll be right over."

"Wait, no you don't have to do that, someone will probably be home soon."

"I'll be right over."

He let her talk him into it, and they hung up. A few minutes later he texted Lizi and told her that two of his roommates were home and keeping an eye on him. She shouldn't come back. For good measure, he added that his phone was about to die and he would call her tomorrow after he found his charger. That should keep her from trying to call him or coming over to check on him when he didn't return her call.

He liked Lizi, but she was the kind of girl you needed to heat up slowly on a back burner. So, far he hadn't gotten more than a good-night kiss from her. Even the night she had come over to help him with his resume they had worked on his resume. (Like he was going to look for a job in the middle of summer.) Maybe if she'd been his only option he would have tried to work on her sympathy tonight but, being in so much pain, it wasn't worth the trouble when Cindy was practically a sure thing. He hadn't even thought about Lizi being at that party until he ran into Lydia and Kat. Luckily he'd gotten separated from Cindy at that point. It might have been hard to keep the two of them apart if Darcy hadn't given him a good reason to leave. The timing couldn't have been better. Plus his chances of getting it on with Cindy were even better now that she was all concerned about him. Not that he wanted to get beat up, he really thought he could blend at the party without Darcy seeing him, but at least it had worked to his advantage. Maybe he should thank Darcy. Did they have "Thanks for helping me get laid" cards?

At the thought of how much that would enrage Darcy, he almost smiled, but it hurt too much. He dragged himself out of bed and started looking through his housemate's stuff. Somebody must have something stronger than the two Advil Lizi had given him. He should take something before Cindy got here. After his telling her he was worried about a concussion, she probably wouldn't think it was a good idea.

.~.~.~.~.

When Lizi returned, the party was thinning out, and she was able to find Jane easily. Chad and Darcy were nowhere in sight which was just as well. Lydia and Kat were sitting in the sand laughing.

"What were they drinking?"

"I don't know. They were like this when I found them."

"Jane, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to leave you to deal with something like this alone. I'll explain later, ok?"

"It's not your fault. I should have kept an eye on them."

"I kind of feel like that shouldn't be our job. You take Kat I'll take Lydia?"

"OK."

Taking Lydia was Lizi's penance for leaving Jane without saying anything. Kat wasn't easy to get to her feet, but at least she was relatively compliant. Lydia fought Lizi all the way to the car. One moment she was protesting that it was still early and trying to go back to the party, and the next she was trying to lie down.

They finally made it to the car dumped their sisters into the back seat and seat-belted them in.

"Jane, I can take them home if you want to stay."

"No, you'll need help, besides you've been back and forth enough times tonight. Will you be ok for a few minutes if just find Chad to tell him we're leaving?"

"Of course, see if you can grab some water bottles too."

"Will do."

While Jane was gone, Lizi checked her phone and saw John's message. She was glad someone was there with him. She really wanted to go back anyway, but her sisters were going to take a while to deal with. John's phone was probably dead by now, but she wrote him back and wished him goodnight just in case. There was no reply, so his phone must be out. She was pretty sure he wouldn't feel like looking for his charger until tomorrow.

.~.~.~.~.

Texts on Chad's phone:

9:15:

Jane: I need to help Lizi get Lydia and Kitty home they found a way around the bracelet rule. Couldn't find you to say goodnight. SORRY!

9:37:

Chad: Sorry didn't see ur txt sooner. Wondered where u got to. r your sisters OK?

Jane: They will be. Just got home and about to coax them into the house.

Chad: R you coming back?

Jane: I'd like to, but I think it's going to take a while.

Chad: OK thne gnight

10:01:

Chad: If you chng ur mind there are still people here.

Chad: and we are making smores.

Jane: Just got them settled – think I better call it a night.

Jane: Sorry to miss the smores. :(

Chad: Ok then.

Chad: Wish you oculd come back but i understand.

Jane: Thanks. Talk to you tomorrow?

Chad: Have to go to Princeton tomorrow. Meeting with my advisor.

Chad: Shouldnt hav schedlud that for day aftr party.

Chad: Ill call you when i get back.

Jane: Ok. Hope your meeting goes well.

Chad: Thanks, pleasant dreams.

Jane: You too.

.~.~.~.~.

Once they finally got Lydia and Kat into bed, Jane and Lizi sat in their room talking. Lizi told Jane what had happened with John Wicks and Darcy.

"Lizi, there must be more to that story then what you saw. Darcy was very wrong to resort to violence but there must have been some reason for what he did."

"I'm telling you, we were standing there talking and Darcy just came up and started punching him for no reason. He didn't even give John a chance to say anything. John wasn't even fighting back and if Chad hadn't stopped him, I don't know what would have happened."

"Chad wasn't hurt was he?"

"No."

"It was brave of him to step in like that. He didn't say anything about it in his texts."

"Yes. Chad's great. His only flaw is his choice of friends."

"You are only basing that on once incident without knowing what led up to it."

"Darcy _hates_ John." She told Jane the story John had told her at the beginning of summer.

"That is very distressing but I still think there must be another side to the story. There always is and Chad has been friends with Darcy most of his life. They couldn't have stayed friends so long if Darcy wasn't a good person."

"Yes but Darcy probably hasn't shown that side of himself to Chad. Chad wouldn't have reason to know anything about how Darcy conducts himself in the business world. What about Darlene?"

"Lucas said she quit."

"After Darcy made her cry."

"We don't know why she was crying."

"Right, she was in a meeting with Darcy, left crying, and never came back. Darcy may have had nothing to do with it."

"Exactly."

"I was being _sarcastic_!"

"Well, it's true." Then after a few minutes of thought, Jane added. "Chad must know John."

"He said they never really got a chance to know each other."

"Still Chad might know something about his history with Darcy. I'll ask him when he comes back from Princeton."

"Ask him if you want to but nothing can convince me there's any excuse for Darcy beating him up."

"Maybe I should go back to the party after all and see if Chad is OK. He must be shaken up after breaking up a fight."

"I'll drive you back if you want to go." Jane had probably only had few drinks but there was no use taking chances.

Jane glanced at her watch, "No, it's ok. Maybe it's not such a good idea after all."

"I really don't mind driving you."

"I know but now that I think about it, maybe Chad didn't mention it because he doesn't want to talk about it right now. Plus he has to go to Princeton tomorrow. I don't want to go back over there and keep him up late if things are breaking up. He said they were making s'mores but how long can that take?"

"OK if you're sure."

Jane yawned. "I am. Let's just get some sleep."

It had been a long night and Lizi was glad to agree.

.~.~.~.~.

John called Lizi around eleven the next day. His housemates had all gone to work and he hadn't eaten so Lizi picked up some groceries then went over and made him French toast, figuring it would be soft if he had trouble eating.

When he had eaten, they sat on the couch talking.

Lizi studied the bruises on John's face. "You should really press charges."

"It's not worth it. Darcy has a whole team of lawyers to get him out of things like this. By the time they were done, he'd probably be suing me for trespassing or dripping blood on his porch or something."

"I would be a witness for you."

"You're sweet but trust me it's not worth it. Thanks for making me French toast it's nice of you to take care of me."

He rested his hand on her knee and she smiled at him. After a minute or so he started to move it up her inside thigh.

She grabbed his hand and took it off her leg.

"Sorry."

"It's OK"

"No really, I don't know what I was thinking, I took a painkiller and it's making me a little loopy."

"You went to the doctor?"

"Um, no, one of my housemates had them and talked me into taking one. I know it was dumb I just wanted a break from the pain."

"If it hurts that much you should see a doctor."

"I'm ok. I should be back to work in a day or two."

"John…"

"Ok, I'll tell you what, when this painkiller wears off if it's still as bad as it was I'll go see a doctor."

"You won't take another?"

"Nothing but Advil I promise."

After that they hung around watching TV on his housemate's Netflix account. The day wore on and Lizi glanced at her watch. She would need to leave for work soon. "I could call out and stay with you."

"No I don't want you to do that besides someone will be home soon."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, I'm feeling better after the French toast you gave me. But, Lizi if Darcy comes into Fitzgigi's tonight I want you to promise me you won't say anything to him about…" he gestured to his bruises, "this."

She frowned "I don't know if I can promise that."

"Please, I couldn't live with it if you got in trouble because of me."

"It's not because of _you_ ; Darcy's the one who is wrong, besides summer is almost over."

"It's more than two weeks. I don't want you to lose that kind of money."

Lizi finally promised and left for work. Darcy and his friends didn't come in that night, so she was able to keep her promise without difficulty.

.~.~.~.~.

Messages on Jane's phone:

Karo: Closing up the house and heading home. See you next summer.

Karo: Oops forgot! Guess I won't see you next summer.

Jane: You're closing the house? I thought u were here through Labor Day.

Karo: Yea, Chad decided to stay in Princeton and Darcy has a bunch of meetings to get back for.

Karo: I think Chad ran into a girl he likes. :)

Jane: Maybe u & I can get together once we get back home.

Karo: Sounds good. Text me when you're home.

Jane: Will do.

* * *

 _A/N: Austen's Darcy wouldn't have lost control so publicly but Darcy firing Wicks for no reason (even if he had) wouldn't have the same consequences as the original Darcy withdrawing his patronage. I needed something that would have a stronger impact on Lizi's opinion. Plus there have to be some differences. (Besides, Wicks deserved it.)_


	12. Back to School

_A/N: It seems when I posted the last chapter notifications weren't working properly so if you depend on those make sure you didn't miss chapter 11 (More Beach Bash)._

* * *

Packing up the house this year was extra depressing knowing they wouldn't be coming back. It didn't help that Jane was sad over Chad, Lizi was sorry for Jane, and Lydia and Kat kept breaking into tears over the loss of the house. They had gotten rid of some stuff at the town-wide garage sale, and Lizi had given Carla some things. Luckily the new owner had agreed to take the furniture and some of the appliances or they would never have fit it all into their cars even with the top carriers their dad had rented.

At first, Lizi hadn't believed that Chad wasn't interested in continuing his relationship with Jane beyond the summer, regardless of what Karo had texted but as the weeks went by and he failed to answer either of Jane's texts or her voice mail Lizi was forced to think it must be true.

The only good thing to happen at the end of summer was when their aunt and uncle visited and invited Jane to stay with them while she was Student Teaching. They lived near her school. Her uncle would be able to drop her off in the morning, and there was a bus she could get home without too much of a walk on the days her aunt couldn't pick her up. She only needed to be on campus for classes one evening a week. Lizi was glad of this because they were having trouble sorting out the car sharing situation and couldn't borrow their mother's car on a regular basis. She was also glad it would give Jane a break from their mother, who was constantly asking what happened to Chad, but she missed Jane. Jane had the kind of calming influence on everyone that you didn't notice until it wasn't there. They spoke often and texted at least once a day. Jane was swamped with her student teaching, her lesson plans and the work for her classes. Lizi could tell she was throwing herself into it and trying not to think about Chad.

The house was louder with Jane and Mary gone than it had been with all of them at home. With only her own schedule to worry about Lizi spent a lot of time on campus studying in the Library or Student center. Her Psychology classes were great, but the business classes were a struggle. The most laborious class to get through was taught by Dr. Burge, a visiting professor. Apparently, she was a big name in the business world. The two lectures she was teaching filled up fast, and everyone said how lucky they were to have her. Most people got to class early, but Lizi had to rush from her research seminar and was stuck in the front row trying to look like she was awake and interested while Dr. Burge doled out pearls of wisdom such as, "I'm an eclectic pragmatist I draw from everything and use what works." The worst part of the class was that they were required to buy three heavy textbooks. All were written by Dr. Burge, and none of them were available as e-books. At least a third of each page was dedicated to footnotes citing all the sources Dr. Burge had drawn from.

The best part of the class was Rick Williams. The first day of class he came up to Lizi and pointed to the seat beside her. "Is this seat taken?"

Lizi checked the seat carefully as if there might be a tiny person she hadn't detected. "Nope, all yours."

Rick sat down next to her. "I see you lugged the books here. Have you finished reading them? I heard she gives a test the first day."

"What? No!"

He tried to keep a straight face, but he couldn't manage it. "Yea, it will have questions like what is Dr. Burge's favorite color? What is Dr. Burge's greatest business achievement?"

Lizi laughed, "Probably teaching a couple of classes so she can force everyone to buy her books."

"Yea, or convincing my father I'd be more of an asset to him if I audited her class. Not that I mind the time away from the office."

"Then you aren't a student here?" She thought he looked older than most students, but you could never be sure.

"No, I'm Dr. Burge's nephew."

"No, you aren't."

"Seriously, I am. Look." He pulled one of Dr. Burge's books out of his backpack and opened it. "To my nephew Rick on his graduation day may this be a valuable tool on your road to success, Dr. Burge" was handwritten on the title page.

"You could have bought it used."

"You think her nephew would sell her book when she gave it to him as a graduation present?"

"I guess not."

"Well you're wrong I would sell the whole set if I thought I could get away with it. One of the richest women in the country and she gave me her own book for graduation."

"I thought you had the whole set."

"Sure Birthday's, Christmases, Graduations, but I've got the whole set now, so I'm really hoping for a pair of socks this Christmas."

"Are her inscriptions always so clever?"

"No, that's one of her better ones."

After the first class, Rick asked Lizi if he could buy her lunch, "Because the thing is if I take you to lunch and we discuss the class it's business. If you say no I'll have to go back to the office, or worse, have lunch with my aunt."

In sympathy for his plight, Lizi agreed to let him buy her lunch at the student center, and it became a regular thing. After a while, she even stopped arguing about his always picking up the bill. She enjoyed the time they spent together. He was easy to talk to, well informed on a wide range of topics, and made her laugh.

One day in early November Dr. Burge announced that she would be away for the next two classes. "But don't worry. _Don't worry_!" she said quickly (as if people were complaining), "I have a special treat in a guest lecturer for you, my nephew, _my very own nephew_ , Will Darcy has agreed to take time away from his busy schedule and cover these classes for me." I daresay you will learn as much from him as you would from me.

To Lizi's surprise, there were appreciative murmurs from some members of the class. Rick leaned over and whispered, "What am I the red-haired step-nephew?"

"Will Darcy is your cousin?"

"Yup, I've got pictures of us in the bathtub together to prove it."

"Mr. Williams, what are telling Miss Bennet? Please share with the rest of the class." Dr. Burge was the sort of teacher who called everyone by their last name. (Though, Lizi had to admit it was impressive Dr. Burge knew anyone's name in a lecture hall this size.)

"I was just telling Miss Bennet that Will Darcy and I use to take bubble baths together."

"Well, you ought to use the time you spend with Darcy as an opportunity to learn something from him, look how successful he is."

"We were three years old."

"I meant more recently."

"Well if you can convince Darcy to take another bubble bath with me I'll make sure to learn as much as I can this time."

Lizi snorted trying not to laugh at the image of Darcy and Rick in a bubble bath together, with Darcy working on his laptop and Rick taking notes. Others in the class laughed as well.

"Mr. Williams I don't think your father would appreciate your wasting his time in this class."

When her attention was off him, he whispered to Lizi, "If that were true he wouldn't have made me take the class."

From some of the conversations Lizi heard on the way out, it sounded like people were really excited about having Darcy as a substitute lecturer. There were few people Lizi wouldn't have preferred but at least it would be a break from Dr. Burge, and it could be amusing if Rick made as many comments about his cousin as he did his aunt.

.~.~.~.~.

One thing you could say for Darcy was, he covered the material a lot more quickly, while giving more actual information, than his aunt did. The first day of his taking the class he got through what had been on the syllabus in about twenty minutes then looked up as if he were surprised. "Are there any questions?"

Lizi had expected that no one would ask questions in the hope of an early dismissal, but several hands went up. Darcy called on one of the students.

"Is it true that Darcy Enterprises has won 'Best Places to Work' eight years running?"

"Yes, we feel that it's important to invest in our resources and the employees are our greatest resource. We know a good work-life balance is important and we try to provide programs that will help our employees to be more productive."

"Like napping pods?" someone called out.

Darcy smiled, "I don't have the numbers with me, but you might be surprised by how much those increase productivity. Many of our companies also offer onsite childcare and gym facilities in addition to the usual healthcare benefits and retirement plans. Of course, not every business is the same, so the benefits vary according to what is useful."

He glanced at Lizi's and continued, "For example one of our businesses is a restaurant in Seaside Park, most of the employees are students working there for the summer. The best benefit we can give them is to pay them well and since there are only a few full-time, year-round, workers it is best to deal with their needs on an individual basis as they come up."

"Is that Fitzgigi's, your great grandfather's first business?" someone else asked.

"Yes, he started it as a fish store, and it grew from there. When my father inherited the restaurant, he changed the name to Fitzgigi's."

"Do you need any interns at the companies with the napping pods?" asked someone in the back.

Darcy smiled, "You would have to check the website. I normally only get involved with hiring at the executive level. Other questions? Maybe something about the material?"

Several hands went up, and he chose one of them.

"Is it true that you became CEO of Darcy enterprises at 19 and went to Princeton at the same time?"

Exactly how much time had her classmates spent googling Darcy?

"That's a bit of an exaggeration. I inherited the company at 19, but there was an interim CEO actually running things while I finished my degree. I did get involved in the decision making and learn the business. I was able to get independent study credits for some of the work I did at Darcy enterprises so that helped, but it was a heavy schedule. It's not something I would have done by choice."

Another classmate asked, "What would you recommend to someone starting out in the business world to be successful?"

Lizi spoke quietly to Rick, "Inherit a multibillion-dollar enterprise."

Darcy's eyes rested on her for a moment. There was just a hint of a smile on his face and a slight raising of his eyebrow before he addressed the person who had asked the question. "Find something you are passionate about and build your career on it."

Lizi spoke without raising her hand, "And what you passionate about Mr. Darcy?"

He stepped forward and addressed her directly while still speaking loudly enough for the rest of the class to hear. "I am passionate about providing employment opportunities and creating the best possible working environment for my employees."

That wasn't what she had expected him to say, but it didn't stop her from replying, "So you're a job creator?"

There were a few nervous laughs from other students.

"Yes. I know that phrase has taken on a negative connotation in recent years, but I'm proud to keep so many people employed."

He called on another student who asked, "I read you've been selling off large personal assets. Are you planning an acquisition?"

"My reasons are not something I'm prepared to discuss."

"If you told us would you have to kill us?"

"No, of course not." He answered soberly and then seemed to realize it was a joke but his laugh sounded forced.

Instead of the class ending early, it ran over by five minutes and Darcy had to cut off questions and duck out of the room.

As they made their way out of the room Rick's phone buzzed and he read the message. "Darcy wants to have lunch off campus is that OK?"

"Sure, I'll see you next week."

"No, he's taking us _both_ to lunch; I already told him it's our thing."

"Then he's just being polite. There's no reason to bring me."

"Seriously he wants to see you. Do you have time before your next class?"

Unfortunately, she did.

"Great," he sent a text and quickly got a reply. "He wants us to meet him at his car. He's parked in Lot two. I guess that was all the celebrity treatment he could take."

When they got to lunch and had placed their orders, Darcy asked, "Do people usually get off topic like that during the Q&A?"

"We don't normally have a Q&A," said Lizi

"Or rather," added Rick, "Aunt Kathleen asks all the questions and just as often as not she answers them herself."

"Maybe that's what I should do. There wasn't much material to go over, so I assumed the additional time was for discussion."

"Oh, she manages to fill the time. That reminds me Aunt Kathleen says we should take a bubble bath together."

"That isn't going to happen."

"It's because I'm gay isn't it?"

"It's because I don't like bubble baths."

Rick was gay? Lizi tried to look as if she weren't hearing this for the first time, but she must not have been successful because he said, "Lizi, you knew I was gay right?"

"I guess I never really thought about it." She admitted.

"I keep telling you," said Darcy, "People don't _just know_."

"You did."

"We were sharing a room for the week, and you left your magazines out."

Rick shrugged then said to Lizi, "I hope I didn't take you _too_ much by surprise."

She didn't want him to think she was hoping they could be more than friends. "I'm more surprised that your cousin doesn't like bubble baths."

"Maybe he hasn't tried it with the right person."

"Maybe he has something against relaxing in general."

"I have nothing against relaxing. I just don't find sitting in a tub full of hot soapy water the best way to achieve it. Plus once you are finished you still have to rinse off the soap. But one half of the world does not understand the pleasures of the other. I take it you find them soothing."

"With four sisters I don't get enough time in the bathroom to soak in the tub. I suppose for that reason alone a bath seems more luxurious to me than it does to you."

"That reminds me," said Rick, "Lizi, are you afraid of dogs?"

"No, I like dogs. Why?"

"Brandon and I are looking for someone to dog and house sit for us next weekend. Would you be interested?"

"I would be happy to but how did you get there from what we were talking about?"

"Oh, there's a Jacuzzi, you're welcome to use it as much as you want."

"In that case, I would _love_ to house and dog-sit for you." To Darcy, she added, "Does your aversion to sitting in a tub of hot water only apply to baths or does it include Jacuzzis as well?"

Darcy raised an eyebrow. "Maybe Rick is correct, and I just need to try it with the right person."

Lizi was a little surprised by his answer.

"So, Lizi, what was Darcy like to work for?"

"Oh, Mr. Darcy doesn't interact with employees at my level."

"I have a lot of employees," Darcy replied, "if I tried to interact with all of them I would never get anything done. I believe we did speak on several occasions after you made a point of getting my attention."

"I did no such thing!"

"Which would you rather have me believe that you intentionally did something I was sure to notice or that you thought a black hairnet was a good look?"

Lizi was forced to concede the point. "Perhaps on some level, I _was_ forcing you to take enough notice of me to speak to me directly. I admit I didn't like your talking about me as if I wasn't there."

He looked confused. "When did I do that?"

"When you spoke to Lucas about me."

He still looked confused, but then comprehension seemed to dawn. "Were you nearby when I did that? I didn't notice."

"You are not helping your case."

"Perhaps if I'd known, as I do now, that you aren't easily intimidated I would have said something to you directly. On the other hand, it was something Lucas should have corrected, so it was right that I point it out to him."

"If you had waited for me to take your name, you might have noticed I was on the door that night, so I wasn't working around food."

"You were upstairs at the end of the night, so it's a moot point, but I hadn't forgotten you were on the door. Your running out into traffic in search of a customer left a lasting impression on me."

Addressing herself to Rick, she said, "Your cousin will give you a poor impression of me as an employee. I'm particularly unfortunate in having my presumptuous and reckless nature revealed just now. I was going to ask you about internships in your father's company."

"What sort of internship are you looking for?" Rick asked.

"Preferably something in HR, but I'm not picky."

"You're on the HR track?" Darcy asked her.

"Yes, I figured it was my best chance of applying some of what I learned in my psychology classes plus all kinds of companies have HR."

"That is sensible but if your real interest is in psychology why not go directly to Grad school?" Darcy suddenly winced and gave his cousin a nasty look.

Before Lizi could respond Rick said quickly, "I think the internships for this spring are filled, but I can talk to my father."

"I'm looking toward next fall."

"Then I should be able to do something for you."

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way. I was just going to ask about what they had. I'll apply like anyone else."

"There's nothing wrong," said Darcy, "With using your connections. It's called networking."

"Besides," added Rick, "My father was just saying how we need more people with a presumptuous and reckless nature so it would look good for me if I brought you in.

Lizi laughed and agreed to let him talk to his father but made a point of saying she didn't want preferential treatment.

.~.~.~.~.

After lunch, Darcy dropped Lizi and Rick off at TCNJ and headed to his office. His leg was still throbbing where Rick had kicked him when he asked Lizi about Grad School. What was that about? He tried to convince himself he wasn't annoyed by the easy rapport Rick and Lizi obviously had together and the way Rick was always making her laugh. Not to mention the way Rick kept changing the subject when Lizi was obviously trying to flirt with him. After a moment he remembered that he was _grateful_ for that. He didn't _want_ Lizi flirting with him. It was bad enough that since the summer she kept coming to mind at random moments. He would go to a party and catch himself scanning the crowd as if she might be there or be in the midst of a conversation and find himself imagining how she might liven it up. Plus there had been that one dream… he pushed the thought away. It was enough of a distraction having her in the front row. She'd been wearing shorts with boots and a sweater, leaving her legs bare. He'd seen her bare legs all summer, but for some reason, they were more enticing with this outfit.

When he got to his office he sent a text to Rick:

Darcy: Would you care to explain the bruise on my leg?

Rick: Saving you from putting your foot in your mouth.

Darcy: ?

Darcy: I was only asking Lizi about Grad School.

Rick: Lizi plans to live at home and work to help put her younger sisters through college.

Rick: She can't even think about Grad School until Lyd grads.

 _What_? Darcy sat staring at his phone. That was crazy! Why would she put her own life on hold like that and why would her parents let her?

Another text came through from Rick: How is it you let Lizi call you Mr. Darcy?

Darcy ignored this. He didn't usually let anyone call him "Mr. Darcy," that was his father's name, but Lizi had worn him down. It was different when she did it. There was something about the way she said the name, like she wasn't serious, that he found appealing. It wasn't something he could explain to his cousin. He hardly understood it himself.

Her family, he reminded himself, would be a constant source of public embarrassment. Still, he wasn't her boss anymore, and after the next class he was covering, he wouldn't be her teacher either. Maybe he just needed to get her out of his system, and then he could get on with his life.

* * *

 _A/N: This Chapter took a bit longer because I was down with the flu a few days. The next might need a little more time to smooth out some kinks._

 _Thanks to everyone for reading, favoriting, following and reviewing! Next up: WTF_


	13. WTF

The next time Darcy taught he had some discussion questions ready and was able to keep the class more or less on topic. He didn't feel as much of a need to escape afterward and met Rick and Lizi for lunch in the Student Center.

"I spoke to my father's HR manager," Rick was saying to Lizi as he joined them, "She'll be happy to interview you for an internship in the fall."

"That's great, thanks."

She didn't sound very enthusiastic. He could arrange an internship for her at one of his companies… no that was a bad idea. Come to think of it why hadn't she asked him about an internship? Maybe she was hoping something would happen between them and didn't want to be his employee. That would make sense.

Rick spoke again, "We don't pay our interns as well as some companies." He glanced at Darcy as he said this.

"Well, I usually only work over the summer so any amount is more than I would normally make and it would really help if I could find something nearby." Rick's father's company was just outside of Princeton.

"Why limit yourself to a location?" asked Darcy. "You could probably get a short-term lease and live near your internship for a semester." Surely it would be a welcome relief to get away from her family for a time.

Lizi looked at him oddly, "That isn't practical for me right now."

Rick caught his eye, gave his head a quick shake (at least he didn't kick him), and asked Lizi how her project in her research seminar was going. Her eyes lit up, and she described her work in detail. This was the Lizi Darcy was accustomed to, it was clear where her passions lie. Why was she planning to work in HR?

Darcy sat watching her as she spoke to Rick, not really listening to what she said but watching her gestures and countenance and the beautiful expression in her dark eyes. He hated to think of the light in her eyes dying away, her expression becoming dull, and her ready wit replaced by cynicism and the sort of biting remarks her father made, after years spent in a job she didn't care about. Just one more reason he couldn't have any kind of long-term relationship with her and maybe one more argument for a brief liaison now while she while she still possessed the mixture of sweetness and archness in her manner that he was so drawn to.

"Use up all your words for the day Darcy?" It took Darcy a moment to realize his cousin was speaking to him.

"Sorry, what?"

"You OK? You haven't said anything in over twenty minutes."

"No, I'm fine, just thinking."

"Anything you would care to share with the class?"

Darcy made some kind of noncommittal answer. Shortly after that he finished his lunch and excused himself while considering the best way to get back to his car. He had made it through lunch without anyone from the class approaching him with more questions, and he would like to keep it that way.

.~.~.~.~.

After Darcy left Rick said, "I wonder why he's so nonverbal all of the sudden."

"I didn't notice a difference."

Their conversation turned to other topics, and they did not discuss Darcy again until after their next class, two days later, when Rick made a remark about being sorry to have his aunt back.

"I have to admit," said Lizi, "that Darcy made the class more interesting. On the bright side, we don't have to have lunch with him."

Rick looked surprised, "Do you not like Darcy?"

"Oh, I," Lizi blushed, Rick so often made fun of his aunt that she had forgotten to be careful what she said around him. It only now occurred to her that he had never criticized his cousin, except in a teasing way to his face, and actually seemed to like him. "I shouldn't have said that I don't really know him that well."

He looked thoughtful, "I get that he takes some warming up to, he doesn't make a good first impression, but he's a good guy. He really looks out for the people he cares about."

"I've noticed he's very protective of Chad Bartley. He seems a little overbearing at times."

"He can be, a bit, but Chad sometimes needs protecting. I understand Darcy saved him from a problematic relationship."

 _What_? Lizi felt as if she couldn't breathe. She tried to speak in her normal tone. "Saved him how?

"I don't really know the details. Just that Chad was getting himself involved with someone who wasn't good for him and Darcy was glad to have nipped things in the bud."

"Did he say why he felt she wasn't good for him?"

"Something about her family being trouble and his not wanting to see Chad get hurt or taken advantage of."

"I see."

She took a bite of her lunch and had trouble swallowing it. She didn't want Rick to realize how shocked she was.

"You think Darcy was wrong to interfere?"

"It seems strange to me that he would involve himself in Chad's love life, but not knowing the details I shouldn't say. What time do you want me to come by tonight to meet your dog?"

"What time is good for you?"

After Rick left Lizi went to walk by the lake, she was too upset to go to her other classes that day. Darcy didn't want to see Chad get hurt? Jane wouldn't have hurt him! Jane was the kindest sweetest girl in the world! Her family was _trouble_? What did that even mean? They didn't all work for their father like Darcy's friends and family? Lizi thought of the dinner where almost her whole family had shown up when it was just supposed to be her parents. Had Darcy heard about that and thought Chad was being taken advantage of? But that was only one incident, anyway if Chad wasn't bothered by any of this why should Darcy care? And, why hadn't Chad stood up to him? What happened to not letting Darcy boss him around when something was important to him? Was choosing his own girlfriend less important than choosing his own car? What was _wrong_ with Darcy that he was so controlling?

It took several hours by the lake to compose herself but by the time she arrived at Rick's townhouse she was able to give the appearance of being her usual self. She was greeted by an attractive man and an adorable ball of fluff.

"Careful she jumps!"

Lizi laughed the dog was so small one hardly noticed she was jumping on you. She scratched the dog on the head then held her hand out to the man. "I'm Lizi. You must be Brandon?"

"Yes, and this is Aikaterine."

"You named her after Rick's aunt?"

The words were out before she thought about it but Brandon smiled. "Most people don't realize it's Greek for Kathleen. Dr. Burge thinks the name is because she's the size of a cat. Darcy realized right away, so we're lucky he isn't the sort to resort to blackmail."

Lizi bent over and scratched the dog again to hide her face. _Seriously_? She couldn't be here five minutes without someone mentioning Darcy? And, here was yet another affable person who seemed to think Darcy was a good guy. What was up with that?

In order to change the subject, she asked, "And does Aikaterine bear much resemblance to her namesake?"

"None at all she's much sweeter." He scooped up the dog and held her to his face saying, "Aren't you a sweet girl? Yes, you are. Yes, you are."

Rick joined them, and they showed Lizi around the townhouse. They showed her all Aikaterine's things; the gourmet dog food and treats, the toys, the heated bed with her name on it that she never slept in, the faux gemstone leash, the spring water she was given to drink. They also left her a list of emergency numbers and directions to North Star Animal Hospital "Just in Case."

"I know," said Rick, we're one of _those_ couples without kids. But, she's our baby, at least for now."

"If you do well with the dog," added Brandon, "we will want to talk to you about surrogacy."

Lizi's mouth dropped, and Brandon grinned, "Gotcha."

Lizi glanced at the list of emergency numbers. Darcy's name was at the top of the list. She privately reflected he was the last man in the world she would turn to in an emergency.

When Lizi got home, she found her aunt's car parked in front of the house. Her Aunt Maggie and Jane were inside.

"I thought I told you," Jane said to Lizi, "My school is off tomorrow so I decided to spend the weekend at home."

Lizi expressed her regret that she wouldn't be home this weekend but, of course, Jane said it was fine. "I still have a lot of work to do. I just want to sleep in my own bed and go to my own Church this Sunday. I can teach this Sunday so you won't have to come back for that." Originally Jane had only planned to stay with her aunt and uncle during the week, but she had so much preparation to do on the weekends that it was easier for her to get things done there, where things were quiet. Aunt Maggie had suggested it after Lizi told her how often their mother asked Jane if she'd heard anything from Chad and expressed her disappointment when Jane told her she hadn't. Lizi had volunteered to take Jane's Sunday School class for the rest of the semester. Not that she wasn't busy with school herself but she knew Jane's schedule was even worse than hers and, even though they didn't talk about it, she could tell that things were more tiring for Jane than they would have been if she wasn't trying to get over Chad.

"Are you sure? It's not like I'm far away. It's not really any trouble to do it."

"I'm sure. Even if you were here, I'd like to do it. I miss the kids. Did you have anything special planned?"

"Not really, I picked up more clay and paint at the dollar store. I usually just tell the story and then give them craft supplies and let them express themselves." One week she had made an obstacle course, but that had ended in tears when a kid fell. "The room might be kind of messy. I didn't have a chance to clean up last week." The class made a bigger mess when Lizi taught, and more noise. They had fun with her, but most of them had been in Jane's Sunday school class last year, and they adored "Miss Jane." They often asked when she would be back. Lizi was glad to help out, but she was also glad to have a Sunday off.

When her aunt was ready to leave Lizi walked her to her car. "Jane looks tired."

"Student teaching is a lot of work. She gets up early and is up late working on lesson plans."

"Is that all it is?"

"Probably not. I think she struggles to keep up her spirits. She's just not herself lately. It's like some spark is missing. I've been thinking it might have been better if Jane had gone through a boy-crazy stage."

"You can't seriously be saying Jane should have been more like Lydia and Kat."

"No, but maybe teenage crushes teach us to handle it when someone doesn't return our feelings."

"But he _did_ return her feelings. If anything he felt even more strongly than Jane did! Chad would have spent every moment with Jane if he could have."

"Then maybe he's the sort of man whose feelings burn hot and fast."

Lizi shrugged. She didn't agree, but it would sound stupid to say Darcy had separated his friend from her sister. People just didn't _do_ stuff like that in real life. Her aunt would think she was delusional. Come to think of it maybe Darcy was delusional. Maybe it _was_ Chad who wanted to break things off with Jane, and he just let Darcy think he was following his advice. It was the kind of thing Chad would do. But how could he have been so in love with Jane one night and then cut her completely the next day, as if he left his feelings behind when he crossed the bridge? It made no sense. Rick must be right. Darcy had gotten to him.

Lizi had mixed feelings about being away this weekend. On the one hand at home she might be some comfort to Jane, on the other she wasn't ready to talk to Jane about what Rick had told her, she was afraid anything she might say would make Jane feel worse. She didn't think she could hide her feelings for the whole weekend. Jane would be home again in a couple of weeks for Thanksgiving weekend. Lizi hoped by then she would have her own feelings under control.

When Lizi finished her classes on Friday, she headed straight to Rick and Brandon's condo in Palmer Square. They had left earlier in the day. She took Aikaterine for a quick walk then tried to study, but her mind kept wandering to Darcy breaking up Chad and Jane. How could he be so cruel?

After a few hours, she gave up and took Aikaterine for a longer walk. It was warm for November, but maybe it would cool down enough that she could light the fireplace after soaking in the Jacuzzi. It would be just the thing to relax her and help her put Darcy out of her mind so she could get some work done.

She had just returned from walking Aikaterine when the doorbell rang. Probably a cable salesman or… _crap_! She shouldn't have opened the door. Darcy was standing outside holding a bottle of wine. "May I come in?"

Lizi stepped back automatically to let him in before thinking about what she was doing.

He must have noticed the leash she was still holding and asked, "Were you about to go out?"

"Yes, I was going to walk the dog."

At the word, "walk" Aikaterine jumped around and barked in excitement as if she hadn't just been out. _Good girl._

Darcy held up the wine, "Let me put this in the fridge, and I'll come with you."

 _What? Why?_ Come to think of it why was he putting wine in his cousin's fridge?

Lizi bent down and clipped the leash back on the dog. Even if she got rid of Darcy now, she'd have to take her for a short walk. She'd gotten her fluffy little hopes up.

Darcy returned and scratched Aikaterine on the head. She wagged her tail and licked his hand. So much for dogs being good judges of character.

Lizi moved toward the door. "You don't need to come with me. It's a safe area, and it's not that late. I'm fine."

"I might as well. There's no point in my staying here alone. Don't you need a bag?"

"What?"

"For the dog. Here." Darcy pulled out one the plastic bags they kept in a large vase by the door. "Trust me you don't want to forget this around here."

"Right. Thanks." She couldn't exactly say the dog had just pooped five minutes ago, so she headed out the door.

They walked a couple of blocks in silence then Lizi said, "Darcy are you here for a reason?"

"Yes."

 _Well, that clears things up._

For a few minutes it looked as if that was all the answer she was going to get but then Darcy added, "I thought this weekend would be a good opportunity to test Rick's theory."

"Rick's theory?"

"That I would enjoy a Jacuzzi with the right person."

"So you're… What, you're meeting someone here?"

"No need to play coy, we've danced around this thing long enough don't you agree?"

"How can I? I have no idea what you're _talking_ about!"

"I think it's time to be honest."

"That sounds good."

"Very well, I admit you've bewitched me, my infatuation with you is like nothing I've ever experienced before and I can't get you out of my mind. I find myself preferring your conversation to any other's and enjoy time spent in your company even more than I enjoy being alone. I've been fighting my attraction to you for months, and since running into you again, my desire is stronger than ever."

Wait, _what_? What was _happening_? It sounded like he was saying…that couldn't be.. she must misunderstand. Was this a _joke_?

Apparently Aikaterine wanted to do everything possible to play along with pretending she hadn't just had a walk and chose this moment to stop and poop. They both stopped walking, and Darcy bent over to pick up the poop with the bag then tied the bag closed. This would have been Lizi's chance to say something, anything, but she was incapable of forming words.

Darcy continued, "We obviously can't be together long-term. We're from different worlds, and your family…well anyway, your staying at Rick's for the weekend is the perfect opportunity to get this thing out of our systems without anyone being the wiser and then we can forget each other and go on with our lives."

"You mean like a one weekend stand?" Her voice sounded strange in her own ears, but Darcy must not have noticed anything amiss.

"Exactly. But listen, if we're going to do this, we need to have some ground rules. One weekend by mutual consent with no strings attached and at the end of the weekend, we each go our own way. No tears, no phone calls, no cyberstalking, no pregnancy scares (we'll be careful of course), no lawsuits, no tabloid articles, no revealing the intimate details to anyone else."

The shock was wearing off, and she was growing angry, "You want me to sign a contract?"

"No, that would be needlessly complicated. I have enough confidence in your integrity to trust you to uphold a verbal agreement."

"Lucky me." Lizi felt like she couldn't get her breath. She was so angry she was shaking.

"We can do whatever you want this weekend, well we'll have work around the dog, but we could go to Rat's or take the helicopter into New York and have dinner at Per Se. Or we could go shopping you couldn't tell anyone your purchases were from me but…"

Lizi stopped walking, "Darcy?"

He stopped a few paces ahead and turned to face her. "What?"

"What the FUCK is the _matter_ with you?"

"What's wrong?"

"What's wrong? WHAT'S WRONG? You basically just offered to treat me like a prostitute!" People passing by were trying to look like they weren't listening but Lizi wasn't even aware of them.

"No, I didn't."

She remembered they were in public and lowered her voice. "What would you call it? Offering me expensive meals or a shopping trip in exchange for a weekend of sex?"

"There's no need to be vulgar. I wasn't offering it in _exchange_ for sex. I just meant we can have fun together. We don't have to do any of that. We can stay in Rick's Jacuzzi all weekend or hang out watching Netflix, or just talk if you want to."

"That's not even… I can't…How could you imagine I would want to do any of that with you? How could you think I'd have a one weekend stand with you under _any_ circumstances?"

"It's more than I've offered to anyone else. Anything longer than a weekend would get messy. Clearly, we can't be together long term. Your family would be an endless source of public embarrassment, and you are willing to let them drag you down. I can't be with someone who is willing to settle for mediocrity instead of pursuing her passion."

Even as angry as Lizi was she couldn't help asking, "What do you mean I'm letting my family drag me down? I'm not settling for mediocrity."

"Rick told me you plan to live at home and help you younger sisters pay for college."

"So what?"

"Can you honestly tell me you'll be happy living at home and working in HR just for the sake of those two?"

"You call that settling? That was the deal we made with our parents, we get four years of college without taking out any loans, and we help pay for the younger ones. Yea, I _settled_ , for four years _of helping my family_ instead of being in debt for the rest of my life. Do you have any idea what college loans are like? You don't, do you?"

"Of course I do. I merely assumed your parents wouldn't have been irresponsible enough to buy a vacation home if they couldn't even afford state college."

"Right because things couldn't possibly have changed since… You know what? I don't have to justify myself to you! Who cares what you think of my family? It's beside the point!"

"What is the point? I'm afraid I've lost track."

"The point is I have no interest in spending the weekend with you!"

She turned her back on him, gave Aikaterine's leash a brief tug, and headed toward home but not before seeing Darcy's angry expression. The problem with walking Aikaterine was that her legs were so small that it was hard to storm off in a huff when the dog had to run with all her might just to keep up at a normal pace. Lizi took pity on her and slowed down. Hopefully, Darcy would just walk away now anyway.

No such luck, after half a block Darcy caught up with her. "Fine, if you don't want me here, I'm not going to force my company on you, but I might wonder at your sudden change of attitude. You implied you wanted me to come."

"I did not!"

" _Please_! What was all that talk about the jacuzzi then?"

" _Conversation_! If you took _that_ as an invitation I began to understand why you think all women are out to seduce you!"

"Maybe it _was_ an invitation until you found out I would only accept under certain conditions. If I had allowed you to believe we could have a long-term relationship you might have been more amiable but I did not want to mislead you."

"If you believe that you are delusional. The only appealing thing about your offer is the part where I never see you again afterward. Even if I liked you, even if I _was_ attracted to you, the last man in the world I would want to be with is the one who hurt my sister. I know you convinced Chad to blow her off,"

"I was protecting a friend."

"And then there's John Wicks. I know you fired him for no reason and _you beat him up_ just for crashing a party! I saw that with my own eyes."

Lizi thought Darcy had looked angry before, but it was nothing to this! His expression was terrible to behold. He clenched his fists. "John Wicks! You are quick to rise to his defense."

"Who wouldn't after the way you've treated him."

Darcy's voice was barely above a whisper. "This is what you think of me. I'm sorry to have wasted your time. I'll walk you home, and then I won't bother you again."

"I don't want you to walk me home Darcy. Your kind of protection I don't need."

With that Lizi scooped up the dog and ran back to the condo. Leaving Darcy standing on the sidewalk still holding the bag of poop. She slammed the door behind her, leaned her back against it, sunk to the floor and undid Aikaterine's leash. She wrapped her arms around her legs, buried her face against her knees and broke into tears.

Lizi was recalled to herself about twenty minutes later when she noticed Aikaterine was licking her hand. She whipped her tears with her hands and scratched the dog on the head. "Sorry sweaty. You must be hungry. You're such a good girl. Let's see what you have for dinner."

After feeding the dog, she checked the fridge. She wasn't sure what to do about the wine Darcy left. She would like to throw it away but he might be back for it and it was probably expensive. On the other hand Rick and Brandon might wonder where it came from. She pushed it toward the back so that it was with some wine they had back there. Hopefully it would be easy to find if Darcy came for it but not to conspicuous if he didn't.

Brandon and Rick had said they'd leave food for her. That had been an understatement. They had left gourmet meals. Lizi opened a container of salmon with roasted vegetables and potatoes. She ate a few bites, not bothering with the instructions for reheating, even cold it was absolutely delicious, but she just didn't have the energy to eat. She forced down another bite and gave up feeling almost guilty. It was the kind of meal that ought to be savored. She closed it back up and put it away. Maybe later, or tomorrow, she would be able to appreciate it. She opened the freezer and found ice cream from Thomas Sweets but not even that tempted her. She might as well go to bed. She wasn't going to be able to study anymore tonight. The jacuzzi was out of the question. Now that she knew Darcy had been planning to get in there with her she was skeeved by the whole idea. Darcy ruined everything!

* * *

 _A/N: I got to thinking that without the social constraints of the regency era Darcy might not go immediately to professing his love. Especially if he's fighting his feelings. So I wanted to explore that. Also, I needed him to have some attitudes he might later rethink. Usually I follow Austin's example and leave Darcy's exact words to the imagination but this one seem to call for dialog._

 _In answer to a couple of anonymous reviews:  
-I only chose OCC because it's so close to the imaginary location of Neatherly Beach :o)  
-I hope this chapter answers the question of why Lizi is helping to pay for her younger sisters. She would have had a choice between her parents paying for part of her college education and taking out a loan for the balance or having them pay for the whole thing and then helping to pay for the younger ones. IMO it would be a logical choice but it would also be a disadvantage as far as getting into a relationship. (If I decide to do more with this story I'll have Darcy learn this sooner it would give him more reason to fight his feelings and to be concerned for Chad.) It also shows that the Bennet's are better off than many people in that they had a vacation home and can pay as much for college as they are without loans but not so well off that they can pay for Five daughter in college in quick succession. Of course they could have saved more if they didn't have the vacation home at all but that seemed to me to be in keeping with their characters from the original. It also highlights a difference between them, Darcy, has the kind of money where the cost of school wouldn't even be a consideration so he doesn't think of it until it's pointed out. I know some people who are well off that make mistakes like this from time to time, they are good people but they tend to think of their own lifestyle as the norm and don't always have a good sense of what's affordable to most people. Sorry if that was a bit long winded._

 _Thanks again for reading, following, favoriting, and reviewing. Next up: Left Holding the Bag_


	14. Left Holding the Bag

_A/N: Pat Darcy: I think you might have meant the review you posted here for another story. I wouldn't mention it but the author it was meant for would probably like to read it. :o)_

* * *

Darcy stood for a second, eyes narrowed, watching Lizi run away. How could she be so nasty to him? She could have just said no. Why had she led him on if she didn't like him? How could she have believed that rat bastard John Wicks?

Darcy realized he was still holding the bag of dog poop. "Perfect," he muttered and walked quickly to the nearest garbage can. He tossed the bag in with so much energy that it broke open. He pulled a package of condoms out of his pocket and tossed those in as well. He noticed that his hands were shaking. He shouldn't drive like this. He would take a walk. It's not like he had anything better to do. He couldn't believe he had cleared an entire weekend for that girl! Any other woman would be grateful for one evening of his time! What was the _matter_ with her?

.~.~.~.~.

On Sunday night Rick showed up holding a bottle of wine and looking annoyed. "You left this in our fridge."

It took Darcy a minute to figure out what he was talking about. "What makes you think that's mine?"

"We get our wine at Terhune's, and I'm pretty sure Lizi doesn't buy wine this expensive."

"Oh. Well, you didn't have to make a point of returning it."

"Lizi is a friend of mine."

Confused by the non-sequitur Darcy didn't reply.

"She seemed upset when she left, and this is your sex wine."

"My _sex wine_?"

"You know what I mean."

"If you are here to defend Lizi's honor you needn't bother. With all your powers of deduction, you might have noticed the wine is unopened."

"So what?"

"So nothing happened, at least nothing like what you are imagining. Not that it's any of your business."

Rick visibly relaxed and smiled. To Darcy's displeasure, he also walked into Darcy's study and plopped down in a chair. Normally Darcy was happy to see his cousin, but he had just managed to put the Lizi incident out of his mind long enough to get some work done, and Rick was making him think about it again.

"My condo my business. So you came over with sex wine but 'nothing happened.' Interesting… _very interesting_. Is Will Darcy falling in love? Enquiring minds want to know."

"Rick, I have work to do and stop calling it sex wine. That's silly. I drink a lot more wine then I have sex."

"You always have work to do. The sooner you satisfy my curiosity, the sooner you'll be rid of me."

"Then you better make yourself comfortable because I have no intention of satisfying your curiosity."

Rick leaned back, crossed his arms, and propped his feet up on the coffee table. "Suit yourself."

Darcy sat down with his laptop and pointedly ignored him.

After about 20 minutes of Darcy giving the appearance of working and Rick doing absolutely nothing, Rick said, "Well if it's not sex wine do you mind if I open it? It doesn't look like I'll be driving home tonight."

"If you must know," snapped Darcy in exasperation, "I _did_ find her attractive, but she turned me down. End of story."

He had the satisfaction of rendering Rick momentarily speechless and added, "You can see yourself out."

"Hold on. An ending like that begs the rest of the story."

"Once upon a time I found a woman appealing. She led me to believe the feeling was mutual. I offered to spend the weekend with her, with my usual ground rules. She said no. The end. Go home."

"You offered a whole weekend?"

"Yes."

"If you really like her why don't you just ask her on a normal date and see where things go?"

"I'm not interested in anything long term."

"Right. She might make you happy and _then_ where would you be?"

"Even if I were interested she hates me, so that's that."

"Oh. That's too bad."

"Not really, I'm only sorry I wasted my time."

"Uh huh."

Darcy put the laptop aside and paced the room as he continued speaking. "I gave her too much credit. Her opinion of _me_ was formed largely on information related to her by John Wicks."

Rick dropped his façade of indifference and sat up straight. "She knows Wanks? She never mentioned it."

Darcy rolled his eyes at the nickname and said, "Of course not. If she had, she might have learned the truth and she would rather believe the worst of me."

"Or it just didn't come up. She didn't know you and I were related until you subbed for Aunt Kathleen, and I didn't realize Lizi knew _you_ until then either."

"Even so, the fact that she believed him at all proves either that she _wished_ to believe him or that her powers of deductive reasoning are severely lacking."

"Why wouldn't she believe him?"

Darcy stopped pacing and stared at his cousin as if he were out of his mind.

"No I mean _I_ know he's a liar but from Lizi's POV why would she expect him to lie? Did you tell her your side of the story?"

"I told her she shouldn't trust him."

"But gave her no reasons not to?"

"Anything John Wicks might have said about me does not deserve the compliment of rational debate."

"I get that, Darcy, I really do. Excepting yourself, no one could think less of Wanks than I do, but we've known him most of our lives and even you have had moments of _hoping_ he might be sincere if not actually believing him."

"Even so she ought to have applied some critical thinking. She's obviously intelligent enough not to be so easily misled."

"But Darcy think about it unless a person has been lied to before or is a liar themselves they don't _expect_ people to be lying. We might suspect people of exaggerating or bias but we don't generally expect an outright lie. Lizi had no reason to analyze what he said. Not without hearing anything to the contrary."

Darcy made no reply.

Rick continued, "On top of that, Wanks is especially convincing. Look how long he fooled your father."

"That's different. My father was partly misled by his fondness for Ray-ray and partly by having known him from his early childhood."

"And yet, in general, your father was usually alert to anyone taking advantage of him in a way Lizi wouldn't be."

Darcy dropped into a chair across from Rick. "It's a moot point. Even if I told her the truth now, she wouldn't believe me. In addition to whatever John Wicks told her. She somehow found out I had a part in separating Chad from her sister."

"That was her sister?"

"Yes."

"Aren't they kind of young for Chad?"

"No, not the younger ones, she has an older sister too."

" _Jane_?"

"Yes."

"Wait, the girl who was dating Chad, that you didn't want to see hurt him, that was Lizi's sister Jane?"

"Yes."

"Crap!"

Darcy thought he knew what was coming next but he asked anyway, " _What?_ "

"You have to understand I never would have imagined the girl you were talking about (who you never named by the way) and the sister Lizi talks about are the same person. I mean the parents, I can see that now, but _Jane_? She's one of the kindest people in the world, from the way Lizi talks about her I mean."

"I had no idea," He answered coldly, "that you and Lizi were such B.F.F.s or I wouldn't have mentioned anything to you."

"I was trying to talk you up. Telling her how you took care of your friend."

"Very helpful, thank you."

"But you said this girl didn't really care about Chad, that she was indifferent. Lizi has been really worried about Jane. It sounds to me like Jane is pretty broken up about the whole thing."

Darcy rubbed the bridge of his nose experiencing a sinking feeling. Could Lizi be mistaken? Even if her judgment was suspect in general, it seemed unlikely. She knew her sister better than he did and he could see how close they were.

Rick said spoke softly, "Darcy, I know you meant well but is there any chance you were wrong about Jane?"

"If I promise to think about will you go home?"

Darcy did think about it but he did not come to a quick decision. He spent Thanksgiving with the Bartley's and on discerning that Chad was not happy, he thought about telling him everything. Then Brian mentioned how focused Chad had been this semester and he concluded that it might be all for the best. There were times he convinced himself that his initial opinion was the correct one. Lizi's fondness for her sister had biased her, or Rick had misunderstood. At other times he thought himself in the wrong but he was not convinced to the point that he was willing to act accordingly. At other times he'd felt that what was done was done and reopening the issue might only cause Chad more pain. Whatever Jane might have felt in the summer, there was no knowing how she felt now. If a small voice in the back of his mind whispered that Lizi would know he managed to tune it out. He would not demean himself by asking anything of Lizi and he had made his cousin promise not to speak to her about his affairs. In spite of his cousin's argument's, he was too angry that she had believed John Wicks to wish to enlighten her.

Darcy would have felt easier in his own mind if he didn't know about the deleted messages. Everything he had said to Chad had been true, or at least, his true opinion, but then Karo had told him about the messages she had deleted. While he didn't approve, he feared revealing what he knew might do Chad more harm than good, but not revealing it felt deceitful and it made him uncomfortable. In addition, his opinion of Karo had sunk so low that he had to question anything that would put him in alliance with her. This last point may have been the deciding factor for in the end he did determine to tell Chad the truth but he also resolved to wait until Chad's exams were over. At Princeton, fall semester exams were held in January. Over Christmas Darcy was focused on Gigi's visit but when she left, he knew he had to make a point of talking to Chad. He found out when Chad's last exam was scheduled and went to see him afterward in his dorm.

"Darcy!" His friend greeted him. "It's good to see you."

Darcy took a seat, "You may not feel that way in a moment."

Chad stretched out on the bed, "I doubt anything could upset me today. I'm finished with finals and I think…" He glanced at Darcy, must have noticed his expression, sat up, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Chad I might have been wrong about Jane Bennet."

"What makes you say that?"

"I ran into her sister when I covered a couple of classes for my aunt at TCNJ. She said something that gave me the impression Jane cared for you more than I ascertained."

Chad looked thoughtful for a short time before saying, "I don't know, Darcy. Lizi may believe that but if Jane really cared for me, she would have answered my text."

This was the moment Darcy had been dreading. "You never sent that text."

"Of course I sent it."

"No, you only thought you did but it didn't go through."

"If it didn't go… listen are we going to play twenty questions here or will just tell me what the devil you're talking about?"

"You got a message saying your text hadn't gone through and instructing you to send it again and… someone saw it and deleted your text." Even though Darcy felt no loyalty to Karo, he was reluctant to reveal her name.

At first, Chad simply stared at him. Then he opened his mouth a couple of times as if he were about to speak but didn't say anything. He turned bright red. When he finally spoke his voice was disconcertingly soft, "That changes everything. If she never got my text, she must have thought I just blew her off, but then she never got in touch with me either. She… oh no, I hope she didn't think I was mad she left the party. …what?"

"There's more. She did text you, twice, and she left you a voicemail."

"Those were deleted as well?"

Darcy nodded.

"Who did this?" Chad's voice was still overly calm. "Not my father?"

"Not your father, but does it matter?"

"Yes!" Chad snapped at him finally raising his voice, "It _matters_! And if you value my friendship at all, you will tell me this instant!"

"Karo, it was Karo."

"It was months ago that you subbed for your aunt. How long have you known about the messages?"

"A while. I wasn't sure if it was best to say anything or not. My concerns about her family haven't changed and you've worked hard to get your grades back up it might have been a distraction."

"I know you think her family will try to take advantage of me and that Jane isn't strong enough to stand up to them but it isn't really your concern. Neither are my grades."

"Your father was worried."

"Whose friend are you, mine or my father's?"

"I consider myself both."

"Yea, well, my father might be concerned if he knew about your nightmares but I don't tell him about those."

"That's different."

Chad shrugged but it _was_ different. Brian had been one of his strongest supporters but he didn't want to give him any reason to doubt his competence. Especially now.

After a brief pause Chad said, "So, Karo has the password to my phone?"

"One, two, three, four? We all know the password to your phone."

"Right, you did warn me I was too trusting. I just never realized you were one of the people I couldn't trust. I listened to you because I thought you had my back."

Darcy was crestfallen. He knew he deserved that but hearing it made him feel about two inches tall. Especially hearing it from Chad. Chad hardly ever got angry at anyone and, for the first time, Darcy wondered if this would be the end of their friendship.

Chad continued, "Mr. Bennet would be amused. Your mother named you well."

"What do you mean?"

"You should read Pride and Prejudice."

And because it was Chad, he said, "I will."

It looked like there was nothing more to be said and Darcy got up to leave.

He had his hand on the doorknob when Chad said, "Darcy, I know you meant well."

"Thank you. I hope, at length, you can forgive me."

"I will, but not today."

Darcy nodded. "What will you do?"

"I don't know."

When Darcy got home, he purchased a Kindle edition of _Pride and Prejudice_. He didn't want to read one of his mother's copies, or his sister's. Plus on the Kindle, no one would know what he was reading, and for some reason, he didn't want anyone to know. It almost felt like he was doing it as a penance. He opened the book and started to read…

* * *

 _A/N: I've been thinking that, other than the characters who were named after the book, I shouldn't have made the names so close, but now I'm torn because I kind of like Rick calling him Wanks. Normally I'm not a fan of Darcy and Lizi learning things about each other through other characters, but I needed this Darcy to get there sooner, regarding Chad & Jane and Lizi didn't say enough to him make question what he believed about Jane plus I did enjoy writing the scene with Darcy and Rick. Things aren't going to play out in the same order as in the original. BTW: I didn't forget Darleen I was setting up for something that will come later._

 _Thanks for all the reviews of the last chapter. I was excited to get so many! Also thanks to Happy Lizzy for getting me thinking about Darcy reading P &P at this point._

 _Next up: Pride and Prejudice and Apology._


	15. Pride and Prejudice and Apology

Chad was right. Mr. Bennet would be amused. The resemblance between _Pride and Prejudice_ and the last six months or so of Darcy's life was almost scary. Why had his mother chosen _this_ book to name him after? He got as far as Elizabeth's refusal and threw his Kindle across the room. Two hours later, driven by a morbid sense of curiosity, he picked it up again. The Kindle still worked. He read the letter. His breath came quickly. His pulse raced; the resemblance between George Wickham and John Wicks was not to be believed. But Austen's Mr. Darcy had shown up in time. He had protected his sister. She hadn't been hurt. If only he could say the same. Not that John Wicks had ever laid a finger on Gigi but he almost couldn't have hurt her more if he had. The pain of Darcy's own failure almost overwhelmed him. This time he didn't throw the kindle; he deleted the book and turned it off. He sat for a long time with his head in his hands. His head ached so much it felt like it would split open from the pressure of his unshed tears. Chad must have forgotten about this part, or the similarity had escaped him. His friend might be angry, but Darcy was sure he never meant to put him through anything like this. He wouldn't read the rest.

The next day he downloaded the book again. It was like a car wreck. He just couldn't look away. At least he had the satisfaction of knowing the similarities would end here. He wasn't going to be writing Lizi a letter, so that was that. He read Elizabeth's reaction to the letter. Even if he did write a letter, Lizi would never react the way Austen's Elizabeth had.

In the next six chapters he, or rather the fictional Mr. Darcy didn't show up at all. He felt a bit put out by this. He wanted to know what Darcy was doing, and half wondered if he was home reading a book. He read on.

Well, he had a cleaning service, not a housekeeper who had known him since he was four years old and people didn't take tours of his house, so that was out. He felt an irrational sense of relief and then he got to the part where Elizabeth learns Lydia has run off with Wickham. Darcy almost jumped up and grabbed his car keys ready to race out and stop John Wicks from running off with Lizi's sister. Then reality set in and he shook his head. This book was messing with his mind! The similarities to some parts of his life were eerie, but it was just a coincidence not a prediction of things to come. He didn't want to imagine how Lizi would react if he showed up, out of the blue, trying to save her sister from John Wicks. She'd probably get a restraining order.

Alright, he was going to finish this book and be done with it. No more reacting as if it were true. He continued reading. Austen's Darcy had _paid Wickham off_? The similarities were definitely over. He wished he could have had the satisfaction of challenging John Wicks to a duel. Why was this his mother's favorite book? Wickham didn't get anything like what he deserved.

He finished the book with the same sense of relief one might feel after a difficult board meeting. It was only 8:30, but he went to bed and fell into a deep dreamless sleep. Two days later he purchased an annotated edition and started reading it again. There was just something about it that he couldn't seem to let go of.

.~.~.~.~.

After Thanksgiving, Lizi's workload was so heavy that she had to push what had happened with Darcy out of her mind in order to concentrate on her school work. She still had lunch with Rick twice a week, but they didn't talk about Darcy. At their first class after the dog-sitting weekend, Rick had informed her he'd promised Darcy not to talk about him. Lizi told Rick she understood and didn't want to put him in the middle. She was just as glad not to talk about Darcy. At first, it had been awkward. Not talking about Darcy meant not talking about Jane's heartbreak and Lizi had never realized how much time she spent talking about Jane. She was afraid the prohibition would drive a wedge between them but they spoke of other topics, and soon things were as they had always been.

By Christmas, Jane was enough like her old self that Lizi had hope of her making a full recovery. Over the winter break, the weather turned bitterly cold. All Lizi wanted to do was curl up in a blanket watching old Christmas movies and reading, but she did go to a New Years Eve party. Jane wanted to go, and Lizi felt it was important to support anything that would help keep Jane's spirits up.

The cold continued into the winter/spring semester, and then in mid-January, they suddenly had a day that was sixty degrees. A repentant lover ought to return in the snow or the rain, but it was on this grey, muddy, unromantic day that Lizi answered the door to find Chad outside. He was dressed too warmly and looked uncomfortable. "Hi, Lizi. Is Jane home?"

Lizi starred at him a moment too surprised to respond. He spoke again, "I just want to talk to her."

"Chad?" Jane had come into the room.

The look on his Chad's face when he saw Jane as if he were half in agony half in hope, touched Lizi's heart. Unsure what to do she looked at her sister for guidance.

"Jane, I know I have no right to ask but could we talk? Even if it's just for a few minutes? Please?"

Jane glanced at her sister. "It's OK Lizi." Then to Chad, she said, "Let's take a walk. I'll get my jacket."

Lizi finally stepped aside to let Chad stand inside the doorway. Jane put her jacket on, and the two walked away without anyone speaking another word.

"Lizzy?" Her mother entered the Living Room. "Who was at the door?"

"Just a friend of Jane's. Jane went out for a while."

"I thought I heard a man's voice."

"It was just a friend." With that Lizi escaped to her room. Whatever happened, the last thing Jane needed was her mother giving her the third degree.

.~.~.~.~.

Jane was gone for hours, and Lizi was not able to learn anything until late in the evening when they were finally alone.

"He never got my texts or message." Said Jane, "What's more he had sent a text to me saying that he would like to continue seeing each other, but if I didn't care for him it would be better to make a clean break now, and it never went through. So when he didn't hear back from me, he took it to mean I didn't return his feelings."

"He left everything up to one text? That's crazy."

"He feels foolish about it now, but at the time it seemed to make sense. He's pretty insecure."

"I guess so, but it seems suspicious, so many messages would be missed."

Jane then told her Karo's actions and Darcy's part in concealing them. She added that Chad didn't like revealing such bad behavior on the part of his sister and friend but found it necessary under the circumstances. "Of course Darcy was wrong to keep Karo's behavior a secret, but he did confess the truth in the end, and it must have been all the harder for having kept it a secret in the first place. He deserves credit for that I think."

 _You would think that._ Lizi wasn't sure what to make of Darcy's confession, except to wonder why it took him so long to make it. She mentally set it aside to ponder later. "So, you're back together?"

"We're taking it slow. His father was concerned about his keeping his grades up, and that's reasonable, he wants to get into grad school. We're both really busy with school, and I need time before I can trust him like I once did."

"I just don't want to see you get hurt again."

"I know."

"And Karo, I never liked her, but I thought she liked _you_ well enough."

"I suppose she thought she was protecting her brother. She must feel bad about it."

Lizi raised an eyebrow.

"Deep down."

"Jane…"

"Well, I know now not to trust her so she won't be able to cause trouble for us again."

"Good for you. Did Chad say why his friend and family seem to think he needs protecting?"

"He did, but it was rather personal. I don't think I should repeat it. Lizi, try not to hate Karo. It isn't who you really are."

"I'll try, but only because you are so virtuous, it makes me want to be the kind of person you believe me to be. In anyone else, it would be annoying, but _your_ goodness only makes me love you more."

Jane was quick to deny any particular virtue and attributed it all to her sister's affection.

.~.~.~.~.

After three weeks of radio silence, Chad showed up in Darcy's office. "You're taking me to lunch."

Darcy took this as a good sign. "Ok."

They headed out to one of their favorite restaurants. They didn't talk much until their food had arrived and Chad said, "I spoke to Jane."

"And?"

"She was more understanding than I would have expected. We're seeing each other again but taking it slow. I know I need to focus on school and Jane understands that. In fact, she's encouraging me."

"That's good."

"I don't want you and I to drift apart."

"Neither do I."

"The only way we won't is if we can all be friends. The only way I can see of moving forward is if you apologize."

"I thought I had."

"Not to me, to Jane."

"Oh."

"Will you do it?"

Darcy sighed. He knew Chad was right, "Yes, I'll do it." At least this was something that hadn't happened in the book. "Do you think Jane would meet me for coffee?"

Chad smiled, "I think she would."

Good. Coffee would give him just the right amount of time to make the apology and be done with it without too much time to stare awkwardly at each other afterward. Besides, even if it weren't for the current awkwardness, she wasn't someone he would want to spend too much time with just one on one. She wasn't easy to talk to like… he pushed the thought aside.

.~.~.~.~.

When Darcy asked Jane to meet him for coffee, he hadn't expected her to choose dunk-in-doughnuts. When he arrived, she was already sitting at a table with two coffees in front of her. She handed him one, "Chad said this is how you like it."

"I would have gotten those."

She shrugged. "I was running a little early, and I thought I'd save us waiting in line."

"Thanks" She must not want to drag out the meeting either. Good. He took a sip of his coffee and was pleasantly surprised. He still preferred Small World, but this was better than he had expected. He took a second sip feeling awkward and exposed. He had thought out what he would say on the way here, but with her sitting in front of him it was difficult to know how to start. He wished he had gotten to know her better over the summer. It might have made things easier. OK, just like any other meeting. "I don't know if Chad told you why I asked you to meet with me but I want to apologize for my interference in your relationship and for withholding certain information from him which would have cleared up a misunderstanding much sooner if he had known. I believed, at the time, I was acting in Chad's best interest, but I can see how, from your perspective, my reasons must appear insufficient."

"Ok."

What did she mean "OK"?

Jane spoke again, "Whenever you're ready to apologize I'm ready to listen."

Oh. Darcy ran over what he had just said in his head. Technically he hadn't apologized. She wasn't going to make this easy for him, but he could respect that. "Jane, I'm sorry I encouraged Chad to think you didn't care for him and I'm sorry I didn't tell him what I knew about the deleted texts and message."

Jane took a sip of her coffee giving him a penetrating look before saying, "Thank you for saying you're sorry. I understand you acted out of concern for Chad, but you were wrong to assume I didn't care for him based on your own observation without talking to me. Do you see that now?"

"Yes."

"I understand you also had some concern that my family might take advantage of him and that I wouldn't be strong enough to stop them. Is this still a concern?"

"I…" Shit! He hadn't expected that. "Perhaps I didn't give you enough credit. My concern was based on having heard that most of your family showed up for dinner when Chad had only invited you and your parents and overhearing your mother speak of the material advantages of the match."

"I don't want to see Chad taken advantage of either but I don't think it's fair to judge me on that one dinner. The whole thing was very upsetting, and I was taken by surprise and wasn't sure what to do. I wanted to pay Chad back, but he wouldn't hear of it. But now that it happened once I'll be more careful to avoid a similar misunderstanding in the future. I don't know what you heard my mother say but," she blushed, and Darcy felt a stab of guilt for bringing it up, "I can only tell you that my mother says a lot of things, but she is not my moral compass."

"You're right, and again, I'm sorry."

"In the future, if you have any concerns about me, will you promise to talk to me before acting?"

Darcy bristled. She was treating him as if he were one of her school children! But it wasn't an unreasonable request, and he forced himself to answer calmly, "I promise." Hopefully, the meeting would be over soon.

Jane smiled. "Good. Then I forgive you." She reached across the table and gave his hand a brief squeeze."

What just like that? No one was that nice! Darcy was so surprised he forgot to keep his expression neutral.

Jane withdrew her hand, "Is something wrong?"

Well, he had promised, "I don't wish to be ungrateful, but I have a hard time believing forgiveness given so easily can be sincere."

"Forgiveness is a gift. If you don't accept it, the problem isn't with me."

Darcy slowly smiled. There was something in her expression that reminded him of her sister. It was the first time he'd noticed any resemblance between them, and it gave him a stab of pain. "I underestimated you."

"People often do."

Jane had almost finished her coffee, and he asked, "Can I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you. I should be going, but I hope we will see each other again soon."

"I do too." He meant it. "I'm glad you and Chad are back together I can see you will be good for him and… thank you."

"You're welcome. Would you mind if I repeated our conversation to my sister?"

Darcy hesitated. He didn't like the idea of being spoken of to Lizi behind his back, but he felt he could trust Jane to represent him fairly. "She will not forgive me as easily as you did."

"No, but to be fair, I wouldn't either if it had been my sister you hurt instead of me."

Then Lizi hadn't told her sister about their argument. Or, Lizi wasn't hurt. Maybe she didn't think enough of him to be hurt by anything he did. _The only appealing thing about your offer is the part where I never see you again afterward. Even if I liked you…_ That almost sounded as if she had disliked him even before he offered to spend the weekend with her. He forced his attention back to Jane. "I can understand that. I wouldn't be quick to forgive someone who hurt my sister either." He decided to test his theory. "But then Lizi already disliked me."

Jane drank the last sip of her coffee. It was true then. He was almost sure Jane would have reassured him immediately if his statement had been incorrect. When she finally spoke, she said, "It shows strength of character to recognize and admit that you were wrong. It couldn't hurt for Lizi to know this about you."

He bowed his head briefly in acknowledgment of her point. "If you wish to repeat our conversation to your sister, I have no objection." It wasn't as if it could make things any worse. But why didn't Lizi like him? Was it all based on what John Wicks had told her or had her dislike of him predisposed her to believe John? He continued to contemplate this after he said goodbye to Jane and drove to his next appointment. He replayed some of their conversations in his mind. Some of what he had taken as flirtation must now be considered in a different light. She had said she didn't like being treated as if she were invisible. She had said things along those lines on more than one occasion, but was that enough to make her dislike him? It wasn't as if he had come into the neighborhood and made himself disagreeable. He almost wished she had spelled out exactly why she objected to him like Austen's Elizabeth had. What was he thinking? What difference did it make why she disliked him? What was he going to do, show her he had changed? Austen's Darcy was in love he was only… What was he? Well, whatever it was it wasn't love, and it didn't matter anyway because she wasn't interested. Why was he still thinking about this? Maybe it was because of the book. He had to stop reading that book. He had read it so many times by now he practically had it memorized. Darcy arrived at his office and pushed his thoughts of Lizi aside. He had an important meeting to prepare for.

* * *

 _A/N: Probably not the apology you were expecting, sorry about that. Aside from talking to him the way she would one of her students, this is more or less how I think JA's Jane might have acted if Darcy apologized. Forgiving him but also not glossing over what he did._

 _Thanks for all the reviews! This is the hardest time I've had yet not to give spoilers, but I'll just say again, please hang in there until you see where things are headed._

 _Next up: Not a Valentine._


	16. Not a Valentine

Lizi's eyes widened as she listened to her sister's account of Darcy's apology. "I have to admit. I never expected him to do anything like that. Whatever else I may think of him it took courage to admit he was wrong. You're a better person than I am. I don't think I would have forgiven him so easily if I were in your place."

"I believed he was sincere, so it was easy to forgive him."

Lizi wondered whether Jane would have been so quick to forgive Darcy if she had told her about his proposition. Just after it occurred, she had worried that saying anything would bring up what had happened with Chad and later she just wanted to forget the whole thing. "Did he say what made him change his mind?"

"No. I didn't ask."

It couldn't have been because of her saying, "You hurt my sister." It was too long ago, and she hadn't said enough to change his opinion. Had he spoken to Rick? Maybe that would account for it. Or, maybe it had nothing to do with her. Maybe his concealment of Karo's actions had been bothering him, and he finally did something about it. She couldn't deny that Darcy was honest. He had been honest with her almost to the point of stupidity. She had managed to put the Darcy incident out of her mind, but his apologizing to Jane made her think on it again. At the time she had thought only in terms of her own offense but now she could consider him with more objectively like she might a case study. His actions were in keeping with what John Wicks and Karo had said about him, but if he did that kind of thing as often as they implied why was he so _bad_ at it? Was he so accustomed to getting what he wanted that he didn't bother putting any effort into it, or was something else going on?

Then again it hardly mattered. For Jane's sake, Lizi was glad Darcy had apologized. It would be hard on her to be at odds with Chad's best friend. For her own, she wouldn't be sorry if she never had to see him or hear anything about him again.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy sat at breakfast listening to Chad try to decide what to do about Valentine's Day tomorrow. "It hasn't been long since we got back together and we promised to take it slow. I don't want to come on too strong, but I want to do something."

Darcy always made a point of avoiding Valentine's Day. If he had a girlfriend, they could avoid it together. They would make dinner together and… Where had _that_ idea come from? He pushed the image of Lizi standing beside him in his kitchen, chopping vegetables, while she teased him about something he just said, firmly out of his mind. What was the matter with him lately? Even if Lizi had accepted his offer, it would have been over with by now. He wasn't looking for the kind of relationship where they'd be making dinner together while avoiding Valentine's Day madness. Was he?

"What do you think?"

Darcy realized he'd missed something. "Sorry, think of what?"

"A Teddy Bear and a simple bouquet with a card that says, "Thanks for bearing with me."

Darcy grimaced.

"Too corny?"

"I'm probably the wrong person to ask. The only girl I've ever given anything to for Valentine's Day is Gigi."

"How is Gigi?"

"It's hard to say. Last time I saw her, she was talking about coming home."

"That's great!"

"I don't want to get my hopes up, but it is an improvement that she's even thinking about it. I've been looking into options for online schools and private tutors just in case."

Chad nodded. He looked like he was about to say something else but took a bite instead.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Chad…"

"Lizi's still in touch with John Wicks. I don't think she's seen him more than a few times, but they are Facebook friends and follow each other on Twitter."

"I don't know what you expect me to do about that."

"I'm not expecting you to do anything. I'd just hate to see her get hurt."

"I don't think that's likely. She's not the sort of woman to be easily taken advantage of."

"Ok."

"I warned her not to trust him. There's nothing else I can do."

"Ok."

"There would be no _point_ in my writing her a letter! She wouldn't believe me anyway."

"Who said anything about writing her a letter?"

Later that evening Darcy paced back and forth in his study. He didn't owe Lizi anything. If she got hurt, it was her own fault. And yet, as much as he didn't want to admit it, if he had seen one guy trying to talk while the other just kept throwing punches, he would have drawn a similar conclusion. The trouble was, he had admitted he was wrong about Jane so he couldn't be angry at her for that. She was wrong about John Wicks, but he could see why she had drawn the conclusion she had. If he wasn't angry at her for what she had said about Chad and Jane, and he wasn't angry at her for believing John Wicks, why was he angry at her? For not having sex with him? He didn't want to think of himself as the kind of man who would resent a woman for rejecting his advances. Her saying he was treating her like a prostitute was crude but was it unjustified? If she had made him a counter offer to spend the weekend together without having sex would he have accepted? Why was one part of his mind continually trying to trip up the other? If he answered that question with a no, Lizi had a point, and if he answered it yes what was it he really wanted from the proposed weekend? A weekend spent enjoying her company was hardly likely to get her out of his system.

In the end, it didn't signify. No matter how he felt about Lizi, he didn't want her to be harmed. She might not believe him, but at least he would know he had made the effort. He would have to tell her his side of the story. He opened his laptop, but after a few minutes, he closed it. With a sense of inevitability, he took out a set of stationery and a pen.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi was spending Valentine's Day alone. There had been tentative plans with John Wicks, but that had fallen through. Tentative plans with him often did. She didn't mind. Lately, she'd been finding him a bit wearing. Maybe it was because she'd been spending so much time with Rick that John's conversation paled by comparison. Now that his aunt's class was over she and Rick didn't have lunch twice a week, but they stayed in touch. He and Brandon had her over a few times, and the conversation was always lively and covered a variety of topics.

John's over the top flattery had been fun at first, but it was growing old, and they seemed to always rehash the same topics. If she spoke about school, it reminded him how much he wished he could be in college himself. If she asked about his job search, he was working diligently, sending out lots of resumes, but he never said anything concrete about where he was looking, and the conversation always came back around to Darcy firing him without cause. She had said, on more than one occasion that he shouldn't let what happened with Darcy define him and that the best revenge was living well. He always agreed, but nothing ever changed with him. What Darcy had done to him was terrible, but she didn't think it was useful for him to keep dwelling on it and she had less and less patience for him to move on with his life. She had also noticed a pattern of his getting handsy and then apologizing profusely when she pulled away. He didn't want to make her uncomfortable. He would never press her to do anything she didn't want to, etc., etc.. Then she wouldn't hear from him for a while, and the next time she saw him he would do the same thing. It was as if he thought that given enough time her resistance would be worn down but they didn't know each other better for knowing each other longer, and she was coming to the realization that he didn't _want_ to know her better. Even Darcy had been interested in conversation with her. In a weird let's have sex so I can got over being interested in having conversation with you kind of way. She really needed to meet some new guys. Weren't there any straight men who wanted the kind of relationship Rick and Brandon had, but maybe with a bigger dog?

Jane hadn't been planning to go out tonight either, but then she had called Chad to thank him for the flowers and the teddy bear with the corny note he had sent her, and they had decided they could go out tonight without violating their agreement to take things slow. Kat and Lydia were at a party. At least the house was quiet, and she could study in the living room, instead of holed up in her room, for a change. She had just settled down to that end when the doorbell rang. Maybe someone had sent flowers to Kat or Lydia.

Lizi answered the front door and found Darcy standing outside. What was up with people just showing up as if phones hadn't been invented yet? She _really_ had to stop answering the door. "Chad and Jane went out." It was the only reason she could think of for his being here. How did he even know where they lived? Did he have a tracker on Chad's phone? The thought wasn't serious. Sometimes she said things only to amuse herself in her own mind. Especially in awkward situations.

"Actually, I was hoping to catch you. I know I'm probably the last person you want to hear from, but I have some information you need to know, and I hope you'll read this."

He handed her a letter, and she took it without thinking about what she was doing.

"Don't worry," he added, "It's not a valentine. I won't bother you again. My cousin can verify what I've written and answer any additional questions you might have." With that, he turned and walked away without Lizi saying anything.

She stood in the open doorway staring at the letter until she recalled herself enough to think that, whatever the letter might be about, she didn't want her mother to notice her and ask questions. She took it up to the room she shared with Jane. Jane would be out for a few hours at least, and Kitty and Lydia were out so, unless one of her parents was looking for her she should have time to read what Darcy had given her without interruption.

 _If_ she decided to read it.

Who was she kidding? She couldn't imagine what information he thought she needed. What could he think was so important that he would risk looking like a stalker in order to deliver it to her personally?

With a mixture of apprehension and curiosity, she opened the envelope. The letter was handwritten on monogrammed stationery. Why would she be surprised?

Ms. Elizabeth Bennet  
76 Longbrook Road  
Meryton, NJ 08619

February 14, 2018

Dear Lizi,

It has come to my attention that you are still in contact with John Wicks. In retrospect, I can see why my simply saying you shouldn't trust him without further explanation did not carry as much weight with you as I expected. However much you dislike me I hope you do not think so badly of me as to not believe I would want to save you from harm but if this is not the case, I can refer you to my cousin to verify what I say here. In order to explain why I believe John Wicks should not be trusted, and why I acted as I did at the party this summer, I need to relate the history of our association.

John Wick's and I grew up together. His mother, Rayanne, was my nanny and was with us from my infancy until Gigi started school. John was almost always with her, and the two of them were like family to us. Even after Rayanne left us and took a job at a daycare center, we remained close. John Wicks was always an endearing child, and my father was particularly fond of him. Rayanne's husband died when we were seven years old and left her in a great deal of debt. My parent's helped her out, and my father became a kind of surrogate father to John and remained particularly fond of him. My own opinion of him is very different.

From a young age, John would often lie to get out of trouble, and the lies came so naturally to him that he was very convincing. There were several times when something of mine would go missing and be returned a day or two later, with a story about how John took it home by mistake or thought I had given it to him. Not wishing to upset his mother I didn't make an issue of it. As he grew older, his transgressions grew more serious and his lies bigger

My dislike of him was reciprocated, and during our school years, we didn't have much to do with each other. The summer we were sixteen my father gave him a job at Fitzgigi's, and he stayed with us at our shore house. A few things went missing from the shore house at this time but always things that could have easily been misplaced. When we turned eighteen and were ready to enter College my father saw to it that John was given a year-round position as a waiter and offered to let him continue to stay at the shore house while he commuted to Ocean County Community College. At this point, I spoke to my father of my concerns. I didn't like the idea of John being in the house alone, and I found the whole idea of his going to OCC, when he could have just as easily gone to a community college near his mom's, suspicious. I was unable to convince my father, but John stayed at the house for the year without incident.

The next summer, when I was nineteen, my parents died suddenly, and John attended the funeral. He came up to me afterward and spoke to me of my father in such terms that I couldn't help being touched. Whatever else I might think of him I believe he sincerely cared for my father. I invited him back to the house. The crowd at the house was overwhelming, and John asked me if I wanted to sneak out for a quiet drink. I was glad to get away. We spoke more of my parents and especially my father, we cried, we laughed, and after a few drinks, he told me that my father had offered to pay for his college education. He said he had planned to transfer to Rutgers after getting his associates degree, but now he would need to find full-time work instead. My father had never discussed this with me, but it was just the kind of thing he would do, and I would have been glad to believe John was sincere in wanting to earn a degree. I told him that as soon as my parent's assets were available to me, I would fulfill my father's promise.

He made a great show of refusing, but in the end, he agreed to accept my offer. A few days later he texted me with an amount he felt would be sufficient to cover his costs and give him some flexibility for unexpected expenses. I offered to pay the schools directly, but he said it would be easier for both of us if I gave him the money all at once. At this point, I became suspicious of his intent, but I had given my word. Plus, Rayanne came by with a casserole and thanked me for giving John a chance to make something of himself. I suppose at this point I could have pressed the issue of paying the school directly but, to be honest, I had a lot to deal with and it was easier to simply write him a check (a copy of the canceled check is enclosed).

Once he had the money, he dropped all pretense of attending college. He did move out of our shore house, and I took the precaution of having the locks changed. He continued working at Fitzgigi's but, as I learned later, he was far from an ideal employee. I didn't hear from him again until a year later when he sent me a text demanding to know why he had been fired. I contacted Rey, the manager at the time, and he told me John had repeatedly come to work late and on several occasions not shown up at all. Knowing how fond my father had been of John, Rey had given him more second chances than he deserved, but then some money went missing. After that, he watched John more closely and caught him stealing. He had no choice but to fire him. Rey also informed me that he did not believe John had earned his associate's degree a fact I easily confirmed.

I told John that I had spoken with Rey and stood behind his decision. He sent me several angry replies which I didn't respond to. After a week or so the texts stopped, but a few months later he contacted me again. This time he came to my office, and he was contrite. He admitted he had blown through all the money I'd given him and said he was struggling with substance abuse. He claimed he wanted to go to a rehab program and hoped afterward to find a job and go back to school. He asked me to pay for his rehab, and I told him I would only do so on the condition that I pay the rehab facility directly. (I trust you will see the wisdom of this.) He became angry and abusive. I tried to point out that if he were serious about turning his life around it would be in his own best interest not to have the temptation of my giving him the money directly but he was beyond reach of reason, and I had to call security and have him forcibly removed. I didn't hear from him again until about a year ago.

I must now mention a circumstance which is particularly painful and which, should it get out would cause pain to an innocent person. Having said this much, I'm sure I can depend on your secrecy. When my parent's died, I was named my sister's guardian. My parents had changed their will when I turned eighteen and had not considered that they would both die so soon leaving me, at nineteen, responsible for a twelve-year-old but I would not have given up the responsibility for anything.

Gigi skipped a grade in grammar school and this put her at something of a disadvantage socially. She had always had some friends but after my parents death she became more withdrawn. When she started high-school, I enrolled her in Young's Academy. A prestigious music school my parent's had been considering. It had been highly recommended. Their only hesitation was that she would have to live there, but to me, that didn't seem as great a disadvantage as it had to them. I would miss her but, at the time, I thought she would receive better care there than I was giving her at home. Youngs Academy is a highly competitive school and being naturally shy and still grieving from the loss of our parents she only made one true friend, a girl named Ashley who was two years ahead of her and took Gigi under her wing. She also had a private piano teacher, a miss Fairfield, who was very encouraging and of whom she was very fond. I think for her first two years her pleasure in working with this teacher and her friendship with Ashley, were enough for her to be as happy as could be expected, though in retrospect I think she may have put up a good front for me. But then Ashley graduated, and Miss Fairfield left the school partway through Gigi's junior year. After this, she was very unhappy there. It is my deepest regret that I was unaware of how forlorn she was. It was toward the end of this year, just after she turned sixteen that John Wicks contacted her on Facebook. Her fond memories of him and his engaging manners made him easy for her to talk to and she thought of him almost as another brother. A brother, to my great shame that she found easier to talk to than she did me. Over the course of several weeks, they spoke often, first on Facebook, then texting and then talking on the phone, and she poured her heart out to him until finally, he convinced her that she needed to get out and have some fun and she snuck out of school and went to a party with him. At this party, he convinced her to have a drink. From her description, I think there might have been something in it, but she didn't have much experience with alcohol. It's possible it was just an extremely strong drink, which is bad enough. Either way, she was enough under the influence that when John spilled a drink on her and suggested she remove her shirt she did. Then he took a picture of her, in her bra, holding a drink and clearly at a party. He took this with her own phone and sent it to himself. He then used it to blackmail her.

The picture wasn't even that bad. There are plenty of bathing suits that show more but she was humiliated, and she knew if he posted it online, as he threatened to do, she would get into trouble at school and, what may have been worse, she knew what kind of vicious gossip she would be the target of if certain girls at her school got hold of it. John Wicks was well aware of this for she had spoken to him of the cruelty of these girls.

If she had come to me when he first demanded money, I could have helped her, but she thought I'd be mad that she snuck out of school and went to a party and she paid him what he asked. It wasn't long before he demanded money a second time and even a third. After paying him the third time, she had almost exhausted the funds she had access to without coming to me. She had jewelry my mother had left her, but the thought of parting with it was heartbreaking, and in any case, she didn't know how to go about selling jewelry, you have to be 18 to sell online, and she was afraid of my noticing it was gone and questioning her. She could have lied to me about why she needed money but found the idea insupportable. Nor was telling me the truth an acceptable alternative for she dreaded the thought of disappointing me. These anxieties, in addition to the other stresses she was facing at school, and the trauma of being betrayed this way by someone she had trusted overwhelmed her, and she was unable to cope. She stopped going to classes, and to meals, and barely got out of bed. At this point, the school called me. I came to her immediately, and she confessed all that had happened. You can imagine how angry I was with John Wicks and the legal action I tried to take against him, but he had been clever in covering his tracks. He claimed to have run into her at the party knowing nothing of her having snuck out of school or of her being served alcohol. She had sent him the picture herself, he did not know who had taken it, and he had never threated to use it against her or received any money from her. She had paid him in cash, and he had not put anything that could be used against him in writing. It came down to her word against his and I didn't think she was in any shape to bear witness against him.

Of course, my first concern was for my sister's welfare. I brought her home, rearranged my schedule to be with her and took her to see a psychiatrist. He recommended a place where she could go to recover, Rosewood Mental Health Spa. I didn't want to send her away again and was not convinced such a step was necessary or that such withdraw from the world would be good for her. However, she wanted to go, and in the end, I trusted she knew what she needed better than I did. I had been wrong about the school.

Rosewood required that she have no cell phone or internet access and I was limited to visiting her one weekend a month. I was allowed to send her letters on paper as often as I wished and I wrote to her on a consistent basis. One of my visits fell the weekend before the Beach Bash. On this visit, she seemed to have suffered a setback. Although she expressed pleasure at seeing me, she was melancholy and withdrawn. When I saw John Wicks at the party, I felt as if he was taunting me. In retrospect it's more likely he thought he could enjoy some free food and drinks without my being the wiser, he normally avoids direct confrontation, and if I hadn't been looking for you to ask if your mother was Ok, I might not have noticed him. In any case, I know I shouldn't have resorted to violence, but when I saw him there, uninvited and availing himself of my hospitality, my anxiety for my sister and my frustration that he got away with it just boiled up in me. I acted without thought, as if by instinct. As angry as you were with me for hurting your sister perhaps you can understand my behavior on that evening. I do not ask you to excuse it.

If you do not absolutely regard this account as false, I hope it will support what I once said without explanation. You should not trust John Wicks.

Sincerely yours,

Fitzwilliam Darcy

The last thing in the envelope was the copy of the canceled check John Wicks had endorsed.

* * *

 _A/N: Usually when I post a chapter I answer some reviews from the last but I can't seem to get them right now. So thanks for the reviews! Obviously these two still have things to work out that the letter didn't cover. Next up Lizi reacts to the letter (haven't named the chapter yet)._


	17. Wow

Lizi read through the letter quickly, so anxious to know what was next she barely attended to what she was reading. "This can't be true." She thought, "This can't possibly…" She read on. The letter ended rather abruptly, and she found the copy of the canceled check.

Lizi sat staring at the canceled check for a long time. The amount was more than generous. Much more than John should have expected to need for a year of community college and two years at Rutgers. How had he blown through so much money in such a short amount of time? For a moment she wondered if there could be some other explanation for the check. John hadn't said anything about Darcy giving him money at all. That alone seemed to verify Darcy's version of the story. But she'd had good reason to believe John. Hadn't she? She reviewed her conversations with John looking for something that would justify her having trusted him, something more than it was easy to believe bad things about a man she disliked. There had been nothing in John's manner to indicate that he was lying, nothing in his body language, anyway. Now that she'd known him longer, she did have to admit that he repeated his story quite often. What it really came down to was she'd had no reason to suspect him. Why would he say something like that if it wasn't true? What could he possibly hope to gain from it?

For a moment these questions convinced her there was room for doubt, and she picked up her phone to text Rick, but she stopped. What would she ask? "Is your cousin a big fat liar or is it John Wicks?" Surely Darcy wouldn't have referred her to Rick if he didn't expect him to back up his story. Then there was the incident at the party. Chad had told John he'd let Darcy kill him next time. He wouldn't have said something like that just because John crashed a party.

It all came down to who was telling the truth. Darcy was arrogant, entitled, and presumptuous but he didn't care enough about what other people thought of him to lie. Which begged the question, why had he written her this letter? It couldn't be in the hope of improving her opinion of him. If that were the case, he would have said _something_ about his proposition. "PS sorry for assuming you'd want to spend the weekend with me even if I treated it like a dirty secret." "BTW you may have run into my evil twin," _something_. But there was nothing about that. It was as if the insult had never happened. Why had he suddenly decided, after all this time, that she needed to know the truth about John? She couldn't be in any danger from him. She didn't have enough money to be worth blackmailing.

She read over the part about Darcy's sister again. Was that smudge a tear? She wished she hadn't thought of that. It made her feel horrible to think of what his sister had gone through and what his anxiety for her had been, and was still. It was appalling what John had put that girl through. Just for ... _what_? For money? For revenge? Even if Darcy _had_ done all he'd accused him of that was no excuse to hurt Gigi, a girl who trusted him, who had confided in him, and who he knew was already struggling. He was despicable! Was there any truth to his saying he was wrestling with substance abuse or was it just a ploy to get more money out of Darcy?

She felt guilty and ashamed for believing John so easily. Maybe it was just as well that it would be a long time before she could consider grad school. How could she even _think_ about working in Psychology if she could be so easily misled? She had thought of herself as such a good judge of character. She had so often disparaged Jane for trusting people too easily, but she had been misled by the worst sort of man for no good reason.

So often when Lizi had thought of Darcy's proposition, she wished she'd said the things she was too angry to think of at the time. Why hadn't she been more like her namesake and listed his character flaws with scathing accuracy? Now she only wished she hadn't mentioned John Wicks. How was it she had read _Pride and Prejudice so_ many times and learned nothing from it? She had none of the eloquence of Austen's Elizabeth and had made the same mistakes.

When Lizi herd the front door she was surprised to realize how much time had gone by. Jane must be coming home. She tucked the letter away, got into bed and pretended to be asleep.

Jane wasn't fooled by Lizi's feigned sleep. "Lizi what's wrong?"

Trick question. If she said, "Nothing," it would prove she wasn't asleep, and if she were faking sleep it would prove something was wrong.

"Lizi, I know you aren't asleep."

Oh. Well, telling Jane wasn't really telling anyone. Jane wouldn't utter a word of a private communication for anything in the world. Lizi told her the whole story of Darcy's proposition, how she had responded, and his letter. They were up talking for hours.

"It seems strange to me," said Jane at one point, "that if he prefers your conversation to that of any other and enjoys time spent in your company even more than he enjoys being alone. He would want to get you out of his system. Our family isn't _that_ bad."

Lizi shrugged. "I can't explain it any more than you can. I only wish I hadn't brought John Wicks into it."

"That is unfortunate. But can he really be as bad as Darcy claims? Maybe there was some misunderstanding."

"A misunderstanding that would explain his having a picture of Darcy's sister in her bra?"

"No, I don't suppose there's any way of accounting for that. We have to feel for what she must have gone through and how painful it must have been for Darcy to see his sister suffer like that. How powerless he must have felt not to be able to help her."

"It is unfortunate I'm forced to see him as a person with his own struggles. It was so much easier when I could simply dislike him entirely and imagine him as having no redeeming qualities."

"Lizi. I know you are only joking because you feel bad, but you couldn't have known John Wicks was not to be trusted."

"No, but if I had kept an open mind and asked more questions, I wouldn't have been so easily fooled."

"Will you make a better choice next time?"

"Jane! I'm not one of your students!"

"That's no reason not to learn from your mistakes."

This made Lizi smile, and she asked Jane about her evening.

Sometimes when Lizi pondered the letter, she thought her mistake regarding John Wicks paled in comparison to Darcy's offense, at other times she considered her error with the deepest regret. She had thought it inevitable, now that Jane and Chad were back together, that she would run into Darcy from time to time and tried to plan what she would say, but they never did run into each other. Either Chad and Jane were purposely keeping them apart, or Darcy was avoiding her. Then again, maybe it had nothing to do with her and Darcy was going about his life without thinking about her one way or the other. Why had he warned her about John Wicks? Did he just want to prove her wrong or was there some other reason? She had no wish to see Darcy again, but these questions would not be put to rest and came to mind at odd times when she thought she'd set them aside for good.

.~.~.~.~.

Texts on Lizi's phone:

John Wicks: Sorry had to cancel VD u busy tonight?

Lizi: Have plans with Rick and Brandon. Want to join?

John Wicks: Rick and Brandon?

Lizi: Rick Williams Darcy's cousin -u know him?

John Wicks: A little. Didn't know you were friends.

Lizi: We r friends – met him at school.

John Wicks: Very different from his cousin.

Lizi: Yes and yet he thinks highly of both Darcys.

John Wicks: …

John Wicks: …

John Wicks: Not surprised Darcy puts on appearance of virtue with his family.

Lizi: Appearances are hard to keep up long term. Truth always comes out in the end.

Lizi: So tonight?

John Wicks: Thanks but have to work on cover letter. C u soon.

Lizi: I understand why you can't come.

.~.~.~.~.

After their text exchange, Lizi didn't hear from John Wicks again, and she hoped she had said enough to put him off for good. The rest of February passed uneventfully, and March was more of the same. Spring break came and went. It wasn't that big a deal when you lived at home and weren't going away. Mary was home for spring break and again for Easter weekend, but she spent so much time studying they hardly saw any more of her than when she was away. Both Lizi and Jane were busy with school, and Jane was also looking for a teaching position.

In late April, Jane met Lizi to drive home from school saying, "I have good news."

"You got a job offer?"

"No, but if we want to work at the shore this summer, Chad said we can stay with him. I already called Lucas, and he said he'll take us back."

"Oh…"

"Darcy won't be there. He's taking his sister to Paris this summer."

"For the whole summer?"

"Yes."

"You're sure?"

"Yes, Chad knows things would be weird for you if Darcy were there."

"I thought maybe if you got a teaching job you would take the summer off."

"I think I should waitress at least one more summer. For one thing, we won't be able to share a car anymore next year."

"I hadn't thought of that. Fitzgigi's _is_ the best money we've ever made. You sure Chad doesn't mind me third wheeling?"

"Of course not, we're still taking it slow, besides Karo will be there too."

 _Oh, yea._ "What about the others?"

"I think Lois and Herb are going to the Poconos with his family. At least for part of the time."

"Are you ok with spending the whole summer with Karo?"

"We are getting along well enough, considering."

Well if Jane could put up with her Lizi could. It wasn't like she had to spend all her free time at the Bartley's house. She texted Carla to tell her she would be there for the summer after all. She wouldn't be as close by, but they could probably still get together as much as they use to.

Carla called her about ten minutes later, "Hey, Lizi, I got your text." She didn't sound as happy as Lizi had expected her to, "I'm sorry I won't be around this summer."

"You won't?" she tried to keep the disappointment out of her voice.

"No, I got an internship overseas."

"Carla, that's great! Where are you going?"

"India."

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing. I just didn't realize it was somewhere you were interested in working."

"A lot of businesses outsource there. It will look good on my resume. It's a good opportunity."

"Sure, that's great, I'm happy for you."

"I know what you're thinking Lizi. That companies who outsource to India exploit their workers, but that's an oversimplification. Besides, I'll need to find a job after college. I can't afford to be _too_ scrupulous."

"Carla, I was only thinking that I'll miss you this summer. If this is what you want, I'm happy for you. I mean it."

Carla hesitated a moment before saying, "Well, I'll admit it's not ideal but it's a good opportunity for me, and I intend to make the most of it."

"I'm sure you will. Besides, just the chance to spend time in another culture is a great experience in and of itself."

"Yea."

Lizi did wonder how happy Carla would be in India, but it was only for the summer. It wasn't like she was making a decision she would be stuck with for the rest of her life.

They talked a bit longer about school and some of their mutual acquaintances. Lizi and Carla didn't have much contact over the winter, but she was still surprised Carla hadn't mentioned her internship. Of course, she hadn't thought Lizi would be there this summer, so maybe she hadn't thought about it. She and Carla had been summer buddies ever since they were kids. It would be weird to be staying at the other end of the island and not seeing her. She had other friends at the shore but not close friends. Hopefully, John Wicks wouldn't be working there this summer. She had successfully avoided him since reading Darcy's letter, but if they were both at the shore, he might expect to pick things up where they left off.

Mrs. Bennet was _thrilled_ to learn of Chad's invitation, it was all going just as she expected, but Lizi mustn't stay the _whole_ summer. She had to give her other sisters a turn to stay with Jane.

"It was only Lizi that Chad invited mom." Jane told her, "Besides the whole point of inviting us was so that Lizi and I can work at Fitzgigi's. We can only do that if we are there are there all summer."

"Oh, I'm sure Chad wouldn't mind which sister is there. Lizi can get a job around here and take time off to visit you. Or, she can get a job at Great Adventure."

"But Lizi and I need to make as much money as we can this summer. Besides, Lizi is twenty-one now. I wouldn't ask the Bartley's to have anyone under twenty-one in their house. They would be legally responsible if anything happened."

"Oh, fiddle-faddle. What could happen?"

Lizi had to bite her tongue to keep from jumping into the discussion. She knew Jane was the best person to handle her mother.

Jane's tone when she answered was much kinder than Lizi's would have been. "Something like what happened at Chad's beach party."

"They were just having fun. All teenager's get into alcohol once in a while, well you and Mary didn't, but _most_ do."

Lizi wondered when her mother thought she had "gotten into alcohol" as a teenager, but again she kept silent and let Jane reply. "All the more reason not to ask the Bartley's to have teenagers staying with them then."

"Well you can't just have Lizi and none of your other sisters it isn't _fair_!"

"If that's how you feel I'll tell Chad that Lizi and I won't be coming after all."

"That's more… wait, no. I didn't say _you_ shouldn't go. You have to go!"

"Well I'm not comfortable spending the whole summer with Chad without Lizi there, and I'm not comfortable asking him to expand his invitation, so my only choice is not to go myself."

"Oh, nonsense, of course, you should go!"

"And Lizi?"

"You're being very nonsensical Jane but take Lizi with you if you insist. If it were me, I would prefer Lydia but do as you will. There's no reason to take _my_ advice, after all, I'm only your mother." With that their mother left the room muttering something about a twelve-hour labor.

That was a close to a concession as she was likely to make and Lizi would have given a fist pump, but she knew how much Jane disliked being at odds with anyone and settled for a sympathetic smile.

If their mother was unreasonable about Jane's refusal to invite her younger sisters to someone else's house it was nothing compared to how Kat and Lydia took the news. They had the meanest, most selfish, older sisters in the world! They _hated_ Lizi and Jane! Lizi and Jane hated _them_! It was bad enough to be stuck at home all summer, but their sister's being at the shore made it a _thousand_ times worse. They were going to _die_ of boredom this summer! Lizi was glad Jane was wise enough not to have Chad over to the house while all this was going on, or he might have decided his friend was right about Jane's family. She only hoped her sisters would be able to compose themselves in time for Jane's graduation. They had already made plans to all go out to dinner together to celebrate. It wouldn't be much of a celebration if her mother and younger sisters assaulted Chad with requests for invitations.

Until the day before Jane's graduation there was no sign of improvement, but then they were granted a reprieve when Heather Fowler invited Lydia and Kat to spend two weeks with her and her family at Beach Haven. "She invited both of you?" asked Lizi, "I thought she was Lydia's friend."

"I have just as much a right to be invited as Lydia does!" Kat snapped.

She winced, and Lizi was pretty sure Lydia had kicked her under the table before saying, "Kat isn't as close to her as I am because we're in the same grade, but they are friends too."

This set off Lizi's sister radar but she held her tongue, and Jane's graduation dinner went off with as little embarrassment as could be reasonably expected. The next day she spoke to her father, "Do you think it's a good idea to let Kat and Lydia go off on their own for two weeks?"

"They'll be with the Fowlers."

"I know, but are you sure the Fowlers can handle the two of them?"

"It's only two weeks. How much trouble could they get into?"

" _Seriously_?"

"Well, I'm sure they won't do any lasting damage. Besides, think what it will be like around here if I tell them they can't go. The two weeks the Fowlers are willing to take them off my hands are likely to be the only peace I'll get all summer as it is. Chad wasn't willing to fill his house with silly teenagers so I can only be grateful the Fowlers are."

Lizi tried to reason with him, but she didn't get anywhere. In the end, she was forced to accept his decision. A few days after Lizi's last class she and Jane headed down the shore in time to start at Fitzgigi's on Memorial Day weekend.

Chad greeted them at the house with the news that there had been storm damage to the lower unit and they would be staying in Darcy's part of the house.

* * *

 _A/N: I've always thought if she were alive today Charlotte would focus on her career and I don't need her to be with Mr. Collins to advance the plot. ;o)_

 _Thanks for reading and for all the reviews! I didn't have a time to answer any this time but I do appreciate them. I hope those of you who aren't happy with Darcy are still reading. Not everything has been revealed._


	18. Neatherley Beach

_A/N: I'm not sure if there was a glitch so make sure you didn't miss the last chapter. ("Wow" Lizi's reaction to the letter)._

 _A/N: Usually when people say something like "please update soon" it's said in a way that comes across as excitement about my story and I take it as a compliment but I got a couple of anonymous complaints this week that had a nasty tone to them. I update when I can. Complaining and/or yelling at me isn't going to make me any faster. I've been posting about once a week, give or take a few days. If that's a problem for you I suggest you stick to stories that are already complete or find authors who update faster. For the rest of you, here is the next chapter:_

* * *

Lizi took the first opportunity of being alone with Chad to ask if he were sure the Darcys would not be coming to the shore at all this summer. She had felt uneasy about working in a place Darcy owned and staying in the unit below his, to begin with, staying in his part of the house seemed more than a little presumptuous. Even with Chad's reassurance, she wondered if she shouldn't leave. Maybe Laine would rent her Carla's room for the summer or she could look for a job near home. Lucas wouldn't have any trouble replacing her. Fitzgigi's always got plenty of applicants. But then Jane would have to choose between staying with Chad all summer without Lizi or leaving, and she didn't want to put her in that position. Maybe she should give it some time and see how things were going with Jane and Chad.

"Anyway," Chad added, "I told Darcy about the damage to our unit and that I had friends here. He's fine with all of us using his house."

"But he doesn't know 'all of us' includes me."

"He wouldn't mind. Really, I know you don't think well of him, but he's very generous."

Lizi made no reply and Chad continued, "Look, I get it, I'm not even as close to my sisters as you and Jane are and if I were in your place I'd be mad at him too, but he meant well. He was only trying to protect me."

"What it is with him and protecting people, whether you want him to or not?"

"I don't know how much Jane told you, but during my freshmen year I met a girl, I fell madly love, or thought I had. I spent a lot of money on her, gave her expensive gifts and things. I thought she truly cared for me, but then I found out she had a boyfriend all along. She was just using me for the money. I was devastated, I stopped caring about much of anything, my grades dropped, I was put on academic probation. Well, it's a long story, but the end is when my family saw how strong my feelings were for Jane they were concerned about me getting hurt again."

"And Darcy?"

"Like I said my family was concerned. Anyway, I'm the one who's really to blame. I knew Jane better than Darcy or anyone in my family did. I knew she would never take advantage of anyone, but I started to doubt she felt anything near what I felt for her. And then I left everything up to one text. It was dumb. I at least should have talked to her, but I've learned from my mistake, and I'll make a better choice next time."

The wording was so much like something Jane would say it amused her, "Well, I'm glad you learned from your mistake. I wouldn't want to have to give you a time-out."

They both laughed. Jane had only paraphrased her conversation with Chad, back in January, but Lizi was pretty sure she hadn't let him off the hook any more easily than she had Darcy. "Darcy can learn from his mistakes too." Said Chad, turning serious again. "It may take him longer, but he can learn. I wish you wouldn't hate him."

"I don't hate him. But, my reasons for disliking him aren't just about his interfering with you and Jane."

"I kind of figured they weren't."

"It doesn't bother you that Darcy is so short with Karo?"

Chad shrugged. "Ever since my sisters turned thirteen they've been trying to flirt with Darcy. It was clear from the beginning he didn't like it, but they didn't stop. Lo seems to have finally moved on but Karo… I can't blame him for being standoffish with her. He's tried everything else."

 _Did he try having sex with her to get it out of her system?_ If he had Chad must not know about it. After reading Darcy's letter, she had determined to be more aware of her own biases and not believe things without verification. But Karo's claims were so close to Darcy's offer to _her_ that it was hard to believe another explanation possible.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi woke up slowly the next morning taking in the cat posters and music notes on the walls. It took her a moment to remember she and Jane were sleeping in the twin beds in Gigi Darcy's room. She felt like such an intruder! She would have felt a little better in a guest room, but Karo had claimed the small room with the single bed (which was just as well) and Chad was in the other guest room. That room had bunk beds and was slightly smaller than Gigi's room. Lizi wouldn't have minded but, while Chad had given them a choice, he had already put his stuff in the bunk-bed room, and she was pretty sure he preferred it to the pink poke-a-dot curtains and kitten posters. Gigi had left things there but there was still a dresser and a closet available so Lizi and Jane had about as much space as they were accustomed to having at the shore.

Jane's bed was empty, and Lizi could hear her and Chad talking softly in the kitchen area. Lizi changed into shorts and a t-shirt. She'd been sleeping in a t-shirt and boxers so the look wasn't that different but it would still feel like walking around in her pajamas, and she wasn't that comfortable with Chad yet. She came out of the room to see Karo disappear into the bathroom. So, she joined Jane and Chad.

Jane smiled at her. "Coffee?"

"Not yet, thanks."

"If you're waiting for the bathroom," said Chad, "there's another one upstairs.

"In Darcy's room?"

"Yes."

"That's ok. I'll wait."

"Don't try to wait, Karo takes forever. Darcy won't mind, really." She heard the shower turn on. Who took a shower before going to the beach? For that matter who took an inside shower at the shore on a nice day? This house must have an outdoor shower it was too nice not to.

Lizi headed reluctantly upstairs. If only she hadn't taken the time to change she would have beaten Karo into the bathroom. She only needed a couple of minutes and Karo probably wouldn't mind using Darcy's bathroom.

Lizi opened the door slowly and glanced around the room before taking a tentative step inside. She laughed at herself. What was she expecting some kind of booby trap? Or did she think Darcy was secretly home and would jump out at her any minute?

After using the bathroom, she took a moment to admire the view. She had been impressed with Darcy's view on his main floor, but this was even better. The room had large windows on all four sides and two sets of French doors leading to balconies. One looked out over the dunes and ocean, and from the other, you could just make out the bay. This house looked older than the others. The balcony had probably had a better view at one time. The room was simply and elegantly furnished. It must have been his parent's room, and it looked like Darcy hadn't changed much. There were lots of family pictures on the walls. Most were people she didn't know but there was a boy she recognized as Darcy, and she was pretty sure the couple featured in so many were his parents. There were a number of him and Rick that made her smile and several with what must be his sister. There was a sweet one of him as a boy helping his little sister build a sand castle. A few included the Bartley's. There were none with John Wicks, but there were a few places where it looked like pictures had been removed. It didn't look like any new pictures had been put up in more recent years. They must have stopped taking family pictures after their parents died, or at least stopped hanging them. This thought brought the reality of their losing both their parents so suddenly, at such young age, to Lizi in a way that hearing about it hadn't. Darcy had been two years younger than she was now and Gigi... She couldn't imagine coping with such a loss let alone being left with the responsibility of a huge multi-billion dollar company and a teenage sister. Her heart was touched. She didn't like Darcy, but the thought of such pain could not help but stir her compassion.

There was a bookshelf in the room and, without thinking what she was doing, Lizi walked over to it and looked over the titles. The shelf contained a set of Hardy Boys mysteries; _Tom Sawyer_ ; _Robinson Crusoe_ ; _Huckleberry Fin_ ; _The Little Prince_ ; the Harry Potter books; _The Collected works of Shakespeare_ ; _The Collected Poems of Emily Dickinson_ ; _Cannery Row_ ; _The Iliad_ ; A number of books by C.S. Lewis; _Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking_ ; _Teen Grief: Caring for the Grieving Teenage Heart_ ; _Please Be Patient, I'm Grieving: How to Care For and Support the Grieving Heart_ ; _A Survival Guide to Parenting Teens: Talking to Your Kids About Sexting, Drinking, Drugs, and Other Things That Freak You Out_ ; a number of business books (none of them by his aunt); _She Comes First: The Thinking Man's Guide to Pleasuring a Woman_ ; _What She Wants: The Ultimate Men's Sexual Performance Guide to Satisfy Her_ ; _Give Her What She Wants and Be The Best She's Ever Had... Written By a Woman;_ _How To Pleasure a Woman In Bed - A guide for the sexually inexperienced male_.

Well, Karo had said the sex would be fantastic. Apparently, Darcy had done his homework but why would he need one for the inexperienced? Unless that was an old book… Lizi realized what she was doing. She hadn't meant to snoop! She was just drawn by the books, but she suddenly felt as guilty as if she'd been poking through his underwear drawer and checking under his mattress. She hadn't expected his bookshelves to feel so personal. She left the room trying to put what she had seen out of her mind, but the books on talking to teens were hard to forget. He must have bought them in the hope they would help him take care of his sister. Who took care of him? Lizi shook her head. He had Chad and Rick and maybe any number of people she hadn't met. Besides, he didn't want more than a weekend, so there was no reason to think sympathetically of him being alone. She felt sorry to think what he had been through but she didn't regret turning him down.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi worked the breakfast lunch shift on Memorial Day. She walked out of the restaurant feeling a little nostalgic for their old house. It was the kind of day where you would get cold sitting on the beach but just the kind of day she would have enjoyed riding her bike into the park or a walk on the boardwalk. Neatherly beach didn't have a boardwalk.

She was being silly. Jane didn't need the car. There was no reason she couldn't take a walk on the boardwalk. It wasn't like you had to live in Seaside Park to walk there. Maybe she would even take a detour past their old house and see if it looked the same.

A short time later Lizi was walking along enjoying having some time alone as much as she was enjoying the weather.

"Lizi?"

Lizi did a double take. She hadn't recognized the woman walking past with the baby stroller as the waitress who had left Fitzgigi's in tears last summer and never come back. "Darleen! How _are_ you?"

"I'm good, really good. This is Lyla." She pulled back a blanket she'd been using to protect the baby from the sun so Lizi could see her.

"She's beautiful!"

"Thank you."

"How old is she?"

"Almost three months. I'll be going back to work soon. We're just here for the weekend."

Lizi did a quick calculation in her head. "Is that why you left Fitzgigi's so suddenly?" Darcy couldn't have… _stop it Lizi! What happened to not assuming bad things about Darcy_?

"Yes and no, I left because Darcy offered me a receptionist job at one of his other companies, in Lakewood."

"That's what he was talking to you about that last day?"

"You didn't hear?"

"No. I only heard that you quit, I thought, well I didn't know what to think. You were crying."

"Oh no, my hormones were so crazy, and I'd been so stressed about the pregnancy. We didn't know what we were going to do. We were both in school with only part-time jobs. I never expected anything like that from Darcy, to be honest, I thought he was kind of a jerk, you know? He said Fitzgigi's couldn't offer me the kind of benefits I would need but the Lakewood company has onsite child-care, and he even fixed it so I would get benefits right away. I was so touched and relieved I just started bawling." She laughed, "I think I kind of freaked him out. He was being all business-like and impersonal about the whole thing. He didn't know what to make of my falling apart like that. When I tried to thank him, he seemed almost annoyed."

Lizi smiled, "That I can see."

"He acted like it was nothing special. You would think he does that kind of thing for people all the time."

" _I am passionate about providing employment opportunities and creating the best possible working environment for my employees."_

Lizi spoke half to herself, "Maybe he does."

"I wanted to thank you for covering for me that day, and I knew you must have wondered at the way I left, but I didn't have your number or anything, and then I thought you would have heard."

"Of course. I'm just glad I ran into you. It's good to know you are doing well." Lizi wasn't at all surprised she hadn't heard. The universe was clearly conspiring to hide all of Darcy's better qualities until after she thought the worst of him and then spring them on her all at once.

"I'll go back to school eventually. Drew's working and going to school part-time, but he should graduate next year, and then we hope he'll be able to get a better job and I want to wait till she's a little older anyway. It will be hard enough to leave her during the day but at least I can see her at lunch, and she's nearby if anything comes up."

Lizi would have replied, but Lyla opened her eyes and became the focus of all attention as Lizi spoke to her and did all the silly things one does around a baby. Then Darleen said she needed to get back and they parted ways.

 _OK universe, so Darcy is a caring brother and a good boss, and he apologized to Jane, and I was wrong to believe John Wicks. But there's still the whole one weekend stand thing, and there's no way you can twist_ that _around and make him out to be heroic in_ every _way. He's not as bad as I thought but I'm still glad he's in Paris. So there we are._

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry the whole Darleen thing was a bit of a red herring. I was setting that up so Lizi could see an example of Darcy taking care of an employee. She already knows how bad Wicks is._

 _And as always thanks for reading and for the reviews. And Happy Easter to those of you who celebrate it. Up next: Saturday Night Surprise._


	19. Saturday Night Surprise

As the weeks passed Lizi became more comfortable staying in Darcy's house. She could even use his bathroom without feeling weird about it, though she was careful not to look around his room and especially avoided the bookcase. This was a necessary adjustment since Karo often got to the bathroom first, and Chad was right that she took forever. She not only took a long morning shower but she dried her hair, did her makeup, and got dressed in there. Even Kat and Lydia didn't do that. The others showered after the beach unless, in Jane and Lizi's case, they were on the morning shift. Even when Lizi took a morning shower, she took it outside. The house not only had two outdoor showers, they were _really nice_ outdoor showers. They had a large wooden stall, with a door separating the shower from the changing area, so your stuff didn't get wet. Plus there were plenty of shelves and a bench.

Bathroom hogging aside, without Darcy around, Karo was easier to live with than Lizi had expected. One of the lifeguards who had helped Lizi's mom was pre-med at Princeton and Karo was spending a lot of time with him. When she was around, she proved to be more interesting than Lizi would have believed. She knew quite a bit about French and Italian literature and culture and showed more interest in the topic than Lizi had given her credit for. While her snark was more mean-spirited than Lizi's, Lizi was amused by it at times.

On one of their first days at the shore, Karo told Lizi that Lois and Herb were engaged and showed her a picture of the ring. "I find it a bit ostentatious, but Lois seems pleased. Personally, I wouldn't want to be with a guy who pays more attention to video games than he does to me."

Lizi had thought something similar but wouldn't have said it about her own sister to someone who wasn't even a friend. "Have you said anything to Lois?"

"There's no point. She would only think I'm jealous because she got engaged before I did."

"Maybe he's different when they're alone."

"The only way I could see him being attentive during sex is if she has a running score going for anything she enjoys and special effects for every orgasm."

The mental image made her laugh in spite of herself.

On another occasion, after watching Chad and Jane exchange a goodnight kiss and retire to their separate rooms, Karo rolled her eyes. "Why don't they just get on with it already?"

"I didn't think you were a fan of their relationship."

Karo shrugged, "I wasn't in the beginning but Chad made a big speech to the whole family about how we were wrong about Jane, and on and on about how great she is, and if we didn't give her a fair chance his choice was clear. So, obviously, they are going to be together. They might as well get on with it. It's like the hero of a Rom-com making a big romantic declaration at the beginning of the movie, and then nothing much happens for the next two hours."

"True but their reasons for taking it slow probably seem more important to _them_ than the entertainment they would provide for _us_ if they paced themselves differently. I'm afraid we will have to amuse ourselves elsewhere."

"Of course you would say that. You and Jane always stick up for each other."

"We don't always agree."

"No, but you both always know you have each other's best interest at heart."

There was something wistful in Karo's tone, and Lizi thought for a minute before she answered. "That's true we know we can trust each other. Neither of us would deceive the other, even if we thought it was in her best interest."

Maybe she saw a flash of something, that might have been guilt or regret, in Karo's expression but it was gone so quickly that she might have imagined it. Karo gave Lizi her plastic smile, "Well we can only hope that when they _do_ get engaged, they won't make up for lost time and set the date too quickly. It will take _forever_ to find a bridesmaid dress that looks good on _both_ of us."

Lizi didn't point out that Jane had three other sisters and any number of friends that might prove easier to find a dress for, she suspected she'd struck a nerve, and she was willing to let Karo save face with a jab of her own. Besides, knowing Jane, she probably _would_ make Karo a bridesmaid in spite of everything. Anyway, if it came to that Lizi would be happy to wear whatever Jane wanted, or they could just put Karo and Lydia in a sack and whoever came out could choose the dress.

.~.~.~.~.

They were all finishing breakfast together one morning when Chad said, "I need to stick around for the piano tuner, but you all shouldn't wait for me. He should be here soon."

Karo practically choked on her coffee. "Collin is coming?"

"Yes, Darcy asked me to get the piano tuned. Even if no one is playing, it's better to keep it in tune."

"You might have warned us so we could get out of here!"

"Why?" asked Lizi, "What's so bad about Collin?"

Karo moaned as if in pleasure, "Ohhh...Darcy your _piano_...ohh…such a _privilege_ to tune such a _superior_ instrument… fingering your keys is so _gratifying_ …"

"He's not _that_ bad." Chad laughingly protested but when he arrived Lizi found that Karo's caricature wasn't so far off. He was _so sorry_ not to see Darcy, full of praise for the superiority of Darcy's instrument, and did not leave until Chad had assured him several times that he would pass on his compliments to Darcy and his "lovely and talented" sister. It was a wonder in the midst of all this verbosity that he found time to breath let alone tune the piano but he did eventually get the job done. Chad assured them that his visit had been much faster than on occasions when Darcy was home. "Darcy's aunt recommended him," Chad told them, "He actually _is_ a really good piano tuner, Gigi prefers his work to any other or Darcy would never put up with him. He'd put up with almost anything for Gigi."

.~.~.~.~.

It was Lizi's turn to make dinner, and she had returned to the house ahead of the others to get started. She heard voices and footsteps on the stairs. Jane and Chad must be returning sooner than she expected. When she heard them enter she spoke without turning around. "I thought we had rolls and I was making Sloppy Joe's, but we don't have rolls, so I hope you like Saturday Night Surprise."

"I… don't think I've ever had it."

That wasn't Chad. Lizi dropped the spatula she was holding and whirled around. Darcy was standing there with a girl, who could only be Gigi, slightly behind him.

Darcy turned bright red, and Lizi felt her face warm as well. She needed to say something, explain what she was doing in his house but her mind went blank, "You're not in Paris." _Duh_!

"No."

"Chad invited me."

"Oh, …of course...his unit is damaged."

"Yes."

She was at a loss for more words and Darcy must be equally dumbfounded. They stood staring at each other until he seemed to remember his sister was with him, "Lizi, this is my sister Gigi."

"Nice to meet you," Lizi said warmly. She was genuinely glad to meet her, but it was also the greatest relief to have someone to focus on besides Darcy.

Gigi gave her a timid smile. "You too." She spoke softly and failed to meet Lizi's eyes. Even if Darcy hadn't mentioned her being shy it would have been obvious she was painfully so. Even in the midst of her own embarrassment, Lizi felt for her, and she finally had the presence of mind to turn off the gas under the meat she'd been sautéing.

She came forward and said to Gigi, "I'm so sorry, my sister and I have been using your room, we didn't disturb any of your stuff, but we'll get out of your way."

"That's ok you can stay," Gigi said enthusiastically, and then looked as if she'd startled herself by speaking.

Lizi felt a rush of affection for her. "You're very kind, but we can't take your room. I felt bad enough about it when you weren't here."

"We can sort out the rooms later," said Darcy, "Is anyone using my room?"

"No. I mean, we've been using your bathroom but no one's staying up there."

He nodded and addressed himself to her sister, "Let's just put our stuff in my room for now and we can relax a little until dinner."

Gigi agreed, and they headed up the stairs.

Oh God, it must seem so presumptuous of her to be staying in his house after the way she had spoken to him! He must think… she couldn't imagine _what_ he must think.

Ok, time to pull herself together. When Darcy came back, she would explain what she was doing there and… then what? Of course, she couldn't stay, at least, not while Darcy was here. Was she going to have to quit her job and go home? Maybe she should ask Laine if she wanted to rent out Carla's room if it was available. Or, maybe the Darcys where only here for a short visit and would still be going to Paris. They only had a couple of bags each. But then, they did have a lot of stuff here already, or maybe they just didn't want to bring in more stuff until the rooms were sorted out.

As these thoughts ran through her head, Lizi finished browning the beef and onions, added the sauce brought the water to a boil, added the pasta and pulled a bunch of veggies out to make a salad. When the pasta was almost ready, Darcy returned.

"I just realized," he said, "you can't have been expecting two more people. Gigi and I can go out, or I can get something to add to the meal."

"Oh no, it's fine! There's more than enough."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, there's plenty." _Plus it's your house._

"In that case is there anything I can do?"

"Yes, taste this." She fished out a couple of noodles, ran them under cold water so they wouldn't burn their tongues and gave one to Darcy. "Does it taste done to you?"

"Perfect." Shall I pour it off?

"Sure."

Darcy poured the pasta into the colander that Lizi had ready, shifted off the extra water and poured the pasta back into the pot, as Lizi mixed everything he asked, "What else can I do?"

"I was just going to make a salad," Lizi gestured to the veggies on the counter, "the lettuce is washed, but anything there can be washed and chopped. Or, I mean, if you want, you don't have to help."

"I'd like to."

Lizi finished what she was doing, ripped up the lettuce, and chopped tomato, while Darcy cleaned and chopped carrots, celery, radishes, and cucumbers. It was surreal preparing a meal together like this. They fell so easily into a natural rhythm and didn't get in each other's way. For a while, they worked in silence and then they both spoke at once.

"I'm sorry I believed John Wicks about you."

"I'm sorry I treated you with such disrespect."

"Oh, sorry…"

"No, you …"

They both stopped talking. Darcy made a motion indicating that she should speak.

"I shouldn't have believed John so easily."

"He's fooled people who know him better than you do. I think he has half-convinced himself of his own lies. He could probably fool a polygraph."

That was nice of him to say, and she might have argued the point, but she didn't want to talk any more about John Wicks. It was more important to explain her presence in his kitchen. "Chad invited us, me and Jane, to stay with him, but then his unit had storm damage, it must seem very presumptuous…"

"No, it's fine I knew about the storm damage, and that Chad had guests up here, I just didn't know it was you."

"I would never have used Gigi's room if I knew she would be here."

"I intended to take Gigi to Paris for the summer, before selling our house there. I got an offer on it sooner than expected, but the buyer wanted to close quickly and… it wasn't the sort of offer that comes along every day. When I told Gigi about it, she admitted she would rather come here. She missed being here last summer. I sent Chad a text that we were coming. Didn't he get it?"

"If he did he didn't say anything."

"Did he get the piano tuned?"

"Yes."

"Hmmm."

"I'll get out of Gigi's room of course, but do you mind if I stay till tomorrow to give me a chance to figure out what to do?"

"Weren't you meant to stay for the summer? Please don't… I mean, I don't want to make you uncomfortable. If you'll stay, I won't try to seduce you again or anything. I regret what I said last fall, I really didn't mean for it to sound like a tit-for-tat, but I realize now that the whole idea… I've been thinking that if any man made my sister the same offer, I made you I would be very angry. I hope I haven't made you feel that you can't even stay in the same house with me."

His saying this was a bigger surprise than his showing up in the first place. "No I… I assumed you wouldn't want me here given…everything."

"No, I behaved badly, I'd like… I'd like you to stay, and I know my sister would like a chance to get to know you." _She would? Why?_ Their brief meeting couldn't have made that much of an impression. Had Darcy spoken of her?

Before she could think what to say next, Gigi came down the stairs. They had finished the salad, and Darcy turned to pull out plates, "Six of us?"

"Yes, I'm not totally sure about Karo, but I think we are six."

Gigi's shoulders slumped a little at the mention of Karo. She silently pulled out silverware and napkins and joined her brother setting the table.

"So," said Darcy, "Saturday night surprise?"

"It's what my father calls it. It's really just sloppy joe with pasta instead of having it on a roll."

"Ah."

"You have had sloppy Joe's right?"

"I feel like I must have had them at some point."

"Ray-ray made them for us that time," Gigi said to him softly.

He smiled at her, "Of course, I'd forgotten about that." Lizi had never seen an expression on Darcy's face like the smile he had for his sister.

He addressed Lizi again, "So you can have it any night of the week?"

"That makes it more of a surprise." They needed a new topic.

Gigi was wearing a Hogwarts t-shirt. That would do for an opener, "I love those books," said Lizi, indicating the shirt, "Which house would you be in if you had a choice?"

"Ravenclaw," Gigi answered softly but with less hesitation than she had spoken before.

"I think I'd be a little intimidated by Ravenclaw," Lizi replied. "I'd be afraid of spending all my time stuck in the hallway trying to solve the riddle."

Gigi smiled and almost looked like she might say more but didn't.

Darcy hesitated a moment watching his sister as if to see whether she would speak, when she didn't he said, "So you'd be in Gryffindor if you had a choice?"

"No, I'm not that brave."

"I doubt that, but you can't possibly expect us to believe you would choose Slytherin."

"No, of course not."

"That only leaves Hufflepuff."

"Why would you be surprised I would prefer the house that prioritizes values and inclusivity over aptitude?"

A lively, lighthearted, debate on the merits of Hufflepuff followed. Lizi argued mostly for the sake of keeping the conversation going and wondered if Darcy were doing the same. Gigi looked amused by the debate and often looked as if she might say something herself but never did. Each time Lizi gave her an encouraging smile and both she and Darcy addressed their remarks to Gigi as much as to each other. Darcy also seemed to be enjoying the debate, and Lizi wondered about some of the arguments they'd had in the past. He had said he enjoyed their conversations.

She returned her attention to the topic at hand saying, "You argue for the merit of aptitude but you are choosing Gryffindor because you place such a high value on protecting others."

"I never said I would choose Gryffindor."

"Am I wrong in thinking that you would?"

Darcy smiled, "No, you aren't wrong."

"You…" Gigi started to speak but the others came in, and she shut her mouth.

When Karo saw Gigi, she squealed, ran to her, and squeezed her. " _Gigi_! Where _have_ you been keeping yourself? I haven't seen you in _ages_!"

Gigi shot her brother a panicked look and Darcy looked like a deer in headlights. Had they not considered what to say when people asked where she'd been?

"Are you all ready to eat?" Lizi asked brightly.

"Yes, we should eat!" Darcy answered with more enthusiasm than he normally expressed. "The aroma has been tantalizing Gig and I since we got here. If you hadn't arrived soon, I was going to come find you. I'm anxious to try the Saturday Night Surprise."

Karo looked confused, "It's Wednesday."

"Yes, well it wouldn't be as much of a surprise if Lizi made it on Saturday. Shall we?" Darcy held out his arm for Karo to take as if they were walking into a formal dinner. This was sufficient to distract her from asking Gigi any more questions, and they all sat down to eat.

"I take it," said Darcy, addressing himself to Chad, "our arrival was a surprise as well. Didn't you get my text?"

"Maybe I need a new phone. I seem to miss a lot of texts."

Darcy raised an eyebrow and Chad gave him an innocent smile.

* * *

 _A/N: I had to give Mr. Collins a cameo ;). Thanks to those of you who reviewed I havn't had much time to reply lately but I do appreciate them._

 _Up next: Piano Lessons._


	20. Piano Lessons

As they ate Chad said, "I talked to my father he wants me to hire a contractor to take care of the damage to our unit."

Karo looked startled, "He chose _you_ for that?"

"Yes, so once that is taken care of we can spread out a bit more, but for now we'll have to figure out rooms."

"I'd like Gigi to have her own room," said Darcy. "She has some school work to catch up on."

"Over summer?" Karo asked, "You are as diligent as your brother."

"If I'm to stay at all." Said Lizi quickly, "I can sleep on the couch."

"I don't think it's necessary for anyone to sleep on the couch." Darcy responded, "They are fine for a night or two, but it's not really comfortable long term. Lizi and Jane, do you mind sleeping in the same bed?"

"No, but how does that help?"

"I was thinking you two could take my room and I could move in with Chad."

"We can't take your bed."

"Well, Chad and I aren't going to share a bed," said Darcy. "He kicks too much."

"I only kick Darcy," Chad replied, "because he's such a snuggly sleeper I either feel smothered or he pushes me out of bed."

"You hog all the blankets. I get cold."

Everyone laughed. Lizi had never heard Darcy be silly before. She quickly glanced at the others to see how they were reacting. Chad and Gigi didn't show any sign that this was unusual behavior for him, but Karo studied him closely with a curious expression on her face. He had delivered the line so seriously that Lizi wondered if she had missed when he had been joking on other occasions.

Lizi objected again to taking Darcy's room saying, "You make it sound like a choice between giving up your room or wrestling with Chad, but that is a false dichotomy. I'm sure I wouldn't mind the couch." But that wouldn't really help unless Jane and Chad were ready to share a room, or someone switched rooms with Karo, but then Jane would be stuck with Karo, and Karo wasn't offering.

Jane must have realized the same thing. She said, "Neither would I. I was very comfortable on the couch when I slept there last summer, and that was with a Jellyfish sting. You are very generous but Lizi is right we don't want to take your room."

"I can take the couch," said Chad, "and Jane and Lizi can have the bunk-beds. If the couch is uncomfortable, it will motivate me to get the work finished on our unit."

The four of them discussed the matter for some time but Darcy was the most tenacious, and he finally prevailed on Jane and Lizi to take the nicest room. Gigi and Karo had both been quiet throughout the conversation.

By now they had all finished eating. Jane and Chad got to work on the dishes and Darcy said, "Dinner was delicious Lizi. Thank you."

Karo shot Lizi a look of such malice that it was clear whatever truce there had been between them when Darcy wasn't home was over.

Karo turned to Gigi with a bright smile. I hope you will play for us. It's been far too long since you've given us the pleasure and the piano was just tuned.

Gigi mumbled something about being out of practice.

"Oh, I'm sure that's not true. You are overly conscientious. We don't need anything fancy. Just play something you already know."

Noticing Gigi's reluctance, Lizi said, "I don't blame you for not wanting to perform in front of strangers. I hope once you get to know us better you will play for us."

Gigi gave her a small smile, but Karo said, "You don't know Gigi like I do. She only needs some encouragement."

 _She needs you to stop putting her on the spot. Any idiot can see she doesn't like being the center of attention._

Karo continued, "She may _say_ she's out of practice but what Gigi considers slacking-off anyone else would consider practicing excessively."

"I admire your diligence," Lizi said to Gigi, "I often wish I had taken the trouble to practice when I was taking lessons. Unfortunately what I considered practicing excessively most would consider slacking-off."

"Do you still play?" Gigi asked softly

"No, my teacher finally told my parents if I wasn't going to practice they were wasting their money giving me lessons. I'm afraid I don't remember anything now except maybe the first song I ever learned."

"You must play it for us," said Karo.

"You are too kind, but you would not enjoy it if I did."

"Don't be silly. We would all like to hear you. Wouldn't we, Will?"

"I would not wish to press you into anything you don't want to do," Darcy told Lizi, "but having sufficiently lowered our expectations you have nothing to lose. If you are terrible, we will have only ourselves to blame for not heeding your warning, and if you are even mediocre, we will be pleasantly surprised." His eyes darted quickly to Gigi and back to Lizi. His look was almost pleading. Well, her playing would definitely take the focus off Gigi.

"I hope you remember you have only yourselves to blame," said Lizi as she moved to the piano and played the first song she had learned. It was played with the right hand using only five keys with middle-C being used predominantly. Feeling if she were going to make a fool of herself she might as well do it properly, she sang as she played, "Putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, goes the little speed-boat. Putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, putt, on the same old note."

Jane and Chad hadn't been attending to the conversation and looked over at her in surprise. Karo looked disgusted, and both Darcys looked amused.

"You had that song didn't you?" Darcy asked his sister.

"Yes."

"Wasn't there a similar song for the left hand?" he asked Lizi.

"I think there was, something about a typewriter." She played a few notes then looked at Gigi, "I don't remember it do you?"

In answer, Gigi sat down next to her and played the song.

"Oh yes," said Lizi, "How could I forget? It's just the opposite of the speed-boat song. I think I could manage the easier part of _Heart and Soul_ if you'll remind me how it goes."

Gigi showed her the part, and they played the song together.

When they finished Darcy asked her if she had learned the _Black Hawk Waltz_ , saying, "That was one of Gigi's favorites when she was first learning she played it all the time."

"I'm not sure I remember that one."

Gigi obligingly played the tune. When she started, she just picked out the melody, but as she played, she added more embellishments. When she finished the song, she started another and Lizi quietly slipped off the bench leaving Gigi to play on her own.

As she stood, she looked at Darcy and found him staring at her. He silently mouthed the words, "Thank you" and she gave him a small nod. They held each other's eyes a moment longer and then Lizi looked away unsettled by the intensity of his gaze.

They stood listening to Gigi a while longer, and the next time Lizi snuck a look at Darcy he was watching his sister play with a tender look on his face. Jane and Chad finished the dishes and joined them. After listening to his sister a while longer, Darcy told Jane and Lizi he needed to get some things out of his room and then they could move their things upstairs. He brought his sisters bags down as well.

As Gigi continued to play, the rest of them occupied themselves in shifting rooms. Chad helped with the move leaving Karo to sit alone and admire Gigi's playing. Lizi noticed that the raptness of Karo's expression sometimes faltered when Darcy wasn't there to observe her kind attention to his sister.

.~.~.~.~.

Later that night Darcy lie in his bunk for a long time half afraid that if he went to sleep, he would find Lizi gone in the morning or wake to find her being here was only a dream. It was as if she had stepped out of his fantasies into his kitchen and he could still hardly believe it was true.

Seeing her, talking with her, had confirmed what he had long suspected. How had he ever been so stupid as to think a weekend with her would be enough to get her out of his system? Could he even dare to hope to improve her opinion of him? She had believed his letter about John Wicks, that was a start. Why hadn't he said more in his letter? Why had he been so blunt? He needed to discover, if he could, her other reasons for disliking him. But first things first. He needed her to stay. He couldn't do anything to offend her or make it awkward for her to be here. That was why he had been so insistent on her and Jane taking his room. He wanted her to have her own space where she could get away from him whenever she wanted to. Of course, that meant he couldn't escape as easily from Karo. He could work in the restaurant, but he wanted to be around for Gigi. It was only until the lower unit was fixed and then…then Lizi would probably move downstairs. He would have to hope the repairs wouldn't go too quickly. No, it would be unkind to hope for that. He could tell how proud Chad was that his father had trusted him with the responsibility. He would just have to use whatever time he had well so that she would still be willing to spend time with him after she moved downstairs, or at least spend time with Gigi.

He shouldn't have been starring at Lizi at the piano earlier, but she had been so kind to Gigi. She had done everything to make his sister feel at ease, and he was sure if they spent more time together Gigi would warm up to her. It wasn't just wishful thinking, was it? She did seem to have taken a liking to Gigi.

"It was nice of you to give the girls your room."

Darcy jumped. He thought Chad was asleep. "It made the most sense."

"Are you going to be ok not having your own space?"

"I think so."

"If you change your mind I'm still happy to sleep on the couch."

"Thanks, but I should be fine. It's not like I've never shared a room before." And Chad knew when to be quiet.

"Yes, but that was before."

"I'm more worried about Gigi."

"She seems to be warming up to Lizi and I'm sure Jane would not do anything to make her uncomfortable." After a short pause, he added. "I'll talk to Karo, ask her to ease up, but I'm not sure it will do any good. She doesn't mean to make Gigi uncomfortable. She just doesn't understand. I could find somewhere else for the four of us to stay until…"

"No, don't do that!" Darcy interrupted, "I mean, you are welcome to stay here."

Chad sounded amused, "I've never heard you sound quite so eager to have a house full of guests."

"I'm not sure _too_ much solitude is good for Gigi and as you said she seems to be warming up to Lizi. She doesn't have many friends, and I think Jane and Lizi would be good for her. Lizi's liveliness is just the thing to bring Gigi out of her shell. She has a way of including Gigi in the conversation without focusing enough attention on her to embarrass her. She has very good instincts about people."

"I'm glad you and Lizi ended up here at the same time then, given how good she is _for Gigi_."

Darcy decided to ignore Chad's tone and said, "It does seem odd you didn't get my text saying we were coming, but you _did_ get the one asking you to have the piano tuned. I sent them within moments of each other."

"There's no explaining these things." Chad's voice was dripping with innocence. "But there is no harm done is there?"

"No. There is no harm done." Quite the opposite but he wasn't going to admit that to Chad. He thought again of Lizi playing that silly song on the piano. He was sure she had done it for the sake of taking attention away from Gigi. At that moment he had felt something toward her he didn't know how to describe. He knew he shouldn't stare, but he could barely manage to pull his eyes away. Then there was their earlier conversation, Hufflepuff! She had argued her point well, but he still wondered if she had only picked that house for the sake of argument. No one really chose Hufflepuff, did they?

His thoughts were bringing on a physical reaction, and he needed to distract himself. It was never a good idea to fall asleep thinking about Lizi, and he certainly didn't want to dream about her with Chad in the room. "Would it bother you if I did some work?"

"No. I can sleep through anything."

Darcy got up and got his laptop and settled back into bed to read some of the reports and emails that had been sent to him. There was one he put off until morning in case it contained bad news; another thing he had learned to avoid at bed-time. Chad already knew about his nightmares, but he would prefer not to dream at all.

After about half an hour the combination of reports and Chad's soft snore had lulled him into drowsiness. He turned off his laptop and snuggled into his pillow wondering if Lizi were asleep by now. He imagined what she would look like sleeping, her hair tousled around her… _damn it!_ He turned his laptop back on and pulled up another report.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi wasn't asleep. She was lying awake wondering why Darcy was going out of his way to be so nice to her. She wasn't sure how she felt about his apology. Saying he wouldn't like a man talking to his sister the way he had talked to her was sort of like saying a woman was only to be respected according to her relationship to a man. On the other hand, it was a _huge_ step in the right direction, and she might not have thought of it that way herself if she hadn't heard that point made in a lecture recently. You couldn't expect someone to change all at once. But why would he change at all? He'd had a sister the whole time why would he suddenly think of it that way after so many months? And had his attitude toward women in general changed? Would he be this nice to her now if she'd said yes or would he be treating her like he did Karo? Not that his treatment of Karo couldn't be explained by her personality but if what she said was true…

These thoughts circled round in her head without her drawing any conclusions until she finally drifted off to sleep. Occasionally she spared a thought to wonder if Chad was right about Darcy being a snuggly sleeper.

Lizi finally fell asleep and woke the next morning when she heard Jane leaving for work. The room was bright with the type of morning light you only seem to get at the shore, and there was a pleasant breeze coming in the window. Rolling out of bed and walking only a few feet to get to the bathroom was an absolute luxury and she wondered again at Darcy's insistence she and Jane take his room. The bookcase caught her attention again, this time because some books had been removed. The sex books were noticeably missing as were the books on helping teenagers. He must not mind her seeing what was left and Lizi ran her eyes over the books. She hadn't read C.S. Lewis' space trilogy in years. She took _Out of That Silent Planet_ off the shelf and took it back to bed with her. She wasn't hungry yet, and it was very pleasant in here. Besides if she spent some time reading Darcy might be buried in work by the time she got up.

Lizi had been reading for about half an hour when there was a knock at her door. "Come in." She sat up resting her back against the headboard and pulling the sheet up to her waist.

There was a slight hesitation, and then Darcy called, "It's Darcy and Gigi."

"Ok, come in." She wouldn't have said it the first time if she hadn't been prepared to meet with whoever it might be, but she smiled at his making sure. She was still wearing the t-shirt and boxers she had slept in, but she wasn't going to deny Darcy access to his own room. He must need something.

Darcy and Gigi entered. "Sorry to bother you but could we use your bathroom?" Darcy asked. "We're told Karo takes forever."

"Of course. It's no bother."

Darcy gestured for Gigi to go first.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes just be quick as you can." He sat down on the edge of the bed. He was probably so accustomed to sitting on the bed that he didn't even think what he was doing, but Lizi felt awkward. Maybe she should start sleeping in a bra. She pulled her legs up in front of her and wrapped her arms around them.

"Thanks," said Darcy, "sorry to bother you."

"It's no bother. I was just reading. Besides, it's your bathroom. In fact, I'm sorry I didn't come downstairs when I woke up so everyone would know it was free." She hadn't thought about that until now, but now that she had she felt bad for being inconsiderate. "I hope you don't mind I borrowed a book."

Darcy's eyes darted to the empty spot on his bookshelf as if to reassure himself he had removed the sex books. He said, "Please take anything you would like. I hope you slept well. The bed was comfortable?"

"Oh, yes. Everything about this room is pleasing. The only thing making me uncomfortable is having taken it from you in the first place."

"Please don't trouble yourself on that account. I want you to be comfortable here. My sister enjoyed meeting you."

"I enjoyed meeting her too. It's hard to believe she's around the same age as Lydia."

Darcy looked a little embarrassed. Lizi hadn't meant it as an allusion to his low opinion of her family. She was just trying to keep him talking so she wouldn't be sitting on his bed with him in awkward silence knowing he needed to pee.

"Some of Lydia's self-confidence would be good for Gigi."

She smiled, "And some of Gigi's diffidence would be good for Lydia if we could trade off some of their characteristics we might each have the perfect sister."

"I wouldn't really want to change them in equal parts. That is… I didn't mean…"

"I understand, my younger sisters drive me crazy, but I love them. I wouldn't really change them if I could or at least not _much_." Then quickly casting about for a more neutral topic she said, "Going back to your question, we were quite comfortable, but I'm afraid you may regret the loss of your room. You have a beautiful view from up here."

"It was better before they built the newer houses, you could see the bay. But I suppose our house ruined someone else's view. Really these islands should all be State Parks though it is hypocritical of me to say so. I wouldn't help owning a house here if I could."

Gigi came out of the bathroom as he was speaking.

"I can't blame you for that." Said Lizi, "I wouldn't even have even wanted to give up our old house if I could have and this is much nicer." Addressing herself to Gigi, she added, "My family had a house in Seaside Park last summer, but we had to give it up."

"I'm sorry you had to give it up, but I'm glad you could come here."

Darcy (who was still sitting on the bed and not moving toward the bathroom) looked pleased by her words. "Lizi worked at Fitzgigi's last summer. That's how we met. Did I tell you that?"

"Yes." From her smile Lizi could almost imagine Darcy had mentioned it several times but why would he? It wasn't exactly a meet-cute.

"Are you back there this summer?" Gigi asked.

"I am. That's why Chad invited us. So we could work there again."

"Then you like it there?"

Lizi was touched that Gigi was working so hard to make conversation with her and was almost tempted to praise her for doing so well though it was clearly difficult for her. Instead, she answered, "I do like it. It's well known for being one of the best summer jobs on the island. Jane and I were lucky to get in there."

"Excuse me." Darcy finally got up and went into the bathroom, but if Lizi didn't keep Gigi talking, they would be alone again when he came out.

"I was just saying I hope your brother doesn't regret the loss of his room. It was nice of him to let us use it."

"He's nice like that. I think he didn't want me to get stuck with Karo. Oh, not…I mean she's really nice to me…I just…"

"She can be a little overwhelming?"

Gigi gave her a grateful smile.

As Gigi didn't seem likely to say anything else Lizi spoke a bit more about the view and added, "Even so I'm not sure I would prefer it to Paris. You really don't mind not going?"

"I'm sure I would have liked it, but I have such happy memories here." As she spoke her eyes caught one of the pictures on the wall and she moved toward it without seeming to notice what she was doing.

Lizi came up beside her saying softly, "Are those your parents?"

Gigi nodded, "I love this picture. They look so happy."

"I can't even imagine what was like for you to lose them so young. I'm so sorry, I know that's a stupid thing to say, but I am."

"It's not stupid." After a brief pause, she added, "We never talk about them. It makes Will so sad. It makes me sad too, but I would like to talk about them. Sometimes I feel like I'm forgetting them like I have memories of memories. Does that make sense?"

"Yes."

"Will knew them a lot longer than I did. I feel like if we talked about them, we would help keep the memories alive in a way."

"Have you told Will this?"

She shook her head, "I don't want to cause him any more pain. He's done so much for me. I know he told you about…John Wicks and my whole…thing. I'll never forgive myself for worrying him so much."

Lizi wanted to hug her but didn't know if it would be welcome. "Oh sweetie, I'm sure he doesn't look it that way."

"I know, in some ways that's worse than if he got mad at me."

"Mmm."

Lizi was amazed that Gigi would open up to her like this. She didn't want to press her to say more, but she also wanted to give her the space to do so if she wished, so she stood next to her in silence.

The problem with not talking was it made it harder to ignore that they could hear Darcy peeing. Lizi happened to glance up and catch Gigi's eye just as he finished. It was the kind of thing that wouldn't normally be funny, but it was so incongruous with such a somber moment that they both broke into giggles. The more they tried to stop laughing the funnier it seemed to become.

Darcy came out of the bathroom. "What's funny?"

"We were wondering why Karo doesn't just use the outside shower," said Lizi, "and I said maybe she's afraid of scaring the neighbors if she goes out without her makeup on."

Darcy smiled in that way people do when they don't get a joke but are trying to play along. Lizi didn't blame him. It was a pretty dumb joke, especially since Karo was quite attractive, even if you did happen to catch her without makeup, but she had to come up with _something_.

"It was one of those only funny in the moment kind of things." Lizi added lamely wondering if the look on Gigi's face was going to give her away.

"I think we'll need to set some ground rules about the bathroom," said Darcy. "There are too many of us for Karo, or anyone, to spend that much time in there, especially first thing in the morning. I'll schedule a house meeting. Do you work tonight?" The last question was addressed to Lizi.

"Yes but you needn't wait for me to meet. I'll be happy to go comply with any ground rules you set."

"We ought to be able to meet when you get home. I'd rather have everyone present, and from what you said in the fall I take it you and Jane have more experience sharing a bathroom than the rest of us."

A few minutes after the Darcys left her Lizi received a meeting request on her phone. She had never used that app before. She had kind of assumed Darcy would just talk to everyone and pick a time. They all accepted the meeting time, and they met when Lizi got home that night. The meeting was nothing like a family meeting at the Bennet's. Lizi felt like she was getting a glimpse of what Darcy was like when he ran a business meeting. He started by stating the issue and sought everyone's input. Everyone's points were given due consideration, and in the end, he summarized what had been agreed on. Lizi had never thought of Darcy as being diplomatic, but he made it sound as if it was just something he wanted to iron out, so it didn't become a problem and never mentioned that Karo had inconvenienced anyone. No wonder people liked working for him.

Lizi was amused by watching Karo who seemed torn between agreeing with Darcy and the horror of doing her hair and makeup in her bedroom. She glared at Lizi as if it were Lizi's fault Darcy wanted more access to his own bathroom. "So will Lizi and Jane have to follow the rules too?" She asked.

"We will anyway," said Jane, "We are accustomed to doing our makeup and hair in our rooms and taking quick showers."

Karo mumbled, "That explains a lot."

"Karo, did you have something to add?" Darcy asked.

"No. I'm just surprised _Jane_ makes herself look so nice without the benefit of proper lighting."

"I'm not," said Chad, "Jane comes out of the ocean looking drop dead gorgeous." That was true, but it wasn't exactly relevant.

Darcy brought the conversation back to the topic asking if the Bennets had set time-limits for showers.

"No," said Lizi, "We are all so accustomed to being quick we don't need official rules. Knowing others will need the bathroom is enough to hurry us. Even my youngest sisters are considerate enough to think of this, or at least smart enough to realize they might be the one waiting on another occasion." She smiled as if her statement hadn't been a deliberate jab at Karo for being inconsiderate. It was unkind to point this out in front of Darcy, but Karo was getting on her nerves, especially in regards to her behavior toward Gigi. To be fair Karo didn't know that her continual references to how long it had been since they'd seen each other and her questions, about school and where Gigi had been last summer, were putting Gigi on the spot. But, one didn't need to be very preceptive to notice how little Gigi liked having Karo gushing over her, and Karo was so oblivious toward the girls discomfort that it seemed like voluntary ignorance on her part. Lizi thought it was a superficial affection if Karo didn't even care enough about Gigi's comfort to avoid tying up the bathroom without needing ground rules.

When the meeting ended Darcy asked Lizi if he could talk to her alone. From the look Karo gave her, Lizi guessed she'd be sending away for a Lizi voodoo doll if she didn't already have one.

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks as always to those who reviewed. Next up: Second Impressions._


	21. Second Impressions

Darcy led Lizi out to the porch telling himself there was no reason to be nervous. He walked to a part of the porch where they wouldn't be heard or seen by the others before saying. "I just wanted to thank you. It's been a long time since I've heard my sister laugh."

Lizi blushed, and he added quickly, "I don't mind if you were laughing at me." He had suspected they weren't really laughing at the idea of Karo scarring the neighbors, Lizi's jokes were funnier than that. "To be honest, I think it might be good for Gigi to take me less seriously. She might open up to me more."

"May I offer an observation?"

"Of course."

"Maybe if you were more vulnerable with Gigi she would follow your example."

"More vulnerable."

"I think she'd be grateful if you would talk to her about your parents." He was standing with one hand on the porch railing and as Lizi spoke she reached out and touched his hand. It was only for a moment and such a light touch he could almost believe he had imagined it.

"I haven't wanted to burden her with my grief."

"Maybe she wouldn't consider it a burden."

"She told you this?"

Lizi pulled her hand away and dropped her eyes, "I shouldn't have said anything."

"No, sorry, I'm not asking you to break her confidence. I just… If she did talk to you, I'm glad. She doesn't usually warm up to people so quickly. You're very good with people."

"I don't know how you can say that after what I believed about you." She answered softly.

Believing one person you shouldn't have doesn't invalidate everything else.

"Not just that I thought you fired Darleen or upset her enough that she quit or something. I was so ready to believe the worst about you. I only learned the truth when I ran into her and her baby recently."

 _Darleen_? "I don't know who you mean." Maybe he shouldn't have admitted that.

"Darleen. The waitress from Fitzgigi's. You offered her a job in Lakewood because she was pregnant and you could give her better benefits there." It sounded vaguely familiar, but he still couldn't place her. "She left crying, and when I asked you if she was ok, you didn't tell me anything."

It finally clicked, "I remember now. I knew you were concerned about her, but it wasn't something I could disclose."

"I realize that now."

"May I ask you something?"

"Yes, of course."

He hadn't meant to bring this up so soon, but she had given him an opening. "Before John Wicks told you his story did you already dislike me?"

She turned and stood looking out over the dunes with her hands on the railing. "I suppose I got a poor first impression of you."

"On the night we first met, there was an accident on the parkway, we were stuck in traffic a long time. It put me in a disagreeable mood. All I wanted was to be alone. I shouldn't have gone directly to the restaurant, but I didn't want to hold up the others."

"I may have taken your bad mood too personally, but I can't help thinking it wouldn't have taken much time give me the consideration of telling me who you were and where you were going."

"I've been trying to be more considerate of how my actions come across to others, but I'm never going to be an extrovert."

"Have you?" She turned and looked at him with a penetrating gaze. Her expression showed surprise mixed with something else, did he dare to hope it was approval?

"Yes, and to that end, can you tell me what else gave you cause to dislike me?"

She turned away from him again, "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Yes." _No, but I need to know._

She took so long to answer he thought she was going to refuse but she finally said, "I think I got the impression that you take your privileges for granted. When you first asked me about grad school last summer, you spoke of it as if you assumed I would go without questioning whether I could afford it. Also, landing your helicopter in a State Park seems to me to show a sense of entitlement."

He took some time to think about what she'd said before answering. "I did make that assumption about grad school, and I'm sorry for it. I admit I don't have a sense of what's affordable to most people. It's not the first time I've made that mistake, but it's something I can work on. As to landing my helicopter in the Park. I only did that once, and it was an emergency." He had promised himself he wouldn't get defensive, but this might be his only chance to explain.

"Oh! Chad spoke about it so casually that I took it to be a common occurrence." After a short pause, she added, "Even so, most people don't have the option of taking a helicopter when they have an emergency."

"That I do realize. I didn't do it lightly, but a lot of jobs were at stake. There was a crisis at one of our subsidiaries. I felt that time was of the essence and there are over two-hundred people employed there. I choose what in my opinion was the lesser evil."

"I see, I admit I never thought of it like that." She faced him again. "Were you able to resolve the crisis?" He was struck by the sincere concern in her tone, but it wasn't a simple yes or no question, and he didn't want to go into detail.

"My intervention kept anyone from being laid off, and we are working on a longer-term solution."

"I'm glad."

"Is there any more feedback you can give me?"

She looked out over the dunes again, "Only one more thing. This one may not be a surprise to you. The night last summer when Jane and I stayed here, when we had the conversation about lingerie, you spoke as if, or at least, my impression was that you believed all women were out to seduce you."

"Ah… well, of course I realize now that's not true." He felt like he ought to say something else, give more of an explanation, but his mind went blank. He ought to have stuck to thanking her for making Gigi laugh. It was barely more than twenty-four hours since he'd found her here and already he was putting her on the spot. Unlike the earlier silences between them, when one of the other was thinking, this silence was awkward. It was probably the first time he had felt uncomfortable around Lizi.

The longer the silence grew, the less capable he became of speech. He was tempted to simply turn and walk away, but he knew that would be rude. He should have thanked her for her feedback and said goodnight but doing so after such a long pause would be absurd. Finally, Lizi broke the silence saying, "I'm surprised you didn't remember Darlene more easily."

His heart sank, if that was important to her, he had no chance. "As I said, I will never be an extrovert. I can't develop a personal relationship with everyone who works with me."

"You mistake my meaning. I was only surprised because you did so much for her and you told me you usually only get involved with hiring and firing at the highest levels so I would have expected it to stand out."

"I…" he felt his face warm, "I'm glad if what I did was helpful to her, but it was nothing out of the ordinary. It's only because she worked at Fitzgigi's that there was any reason for me to get involved to get her the benefits she needed."

"Having been wrong before I will not make the mistake of thinking I understand you. Otherwise I would observe that you are more willing to hear me list your faults than pay you a compliment and be tempted to think well of you for it."

She said this in a light teasing tone with just the touch of arch sweetness that had first attracted him, and Darcy caught his breath. She continued talking which was a lucky thing because he had been rendered momentarily speechless. "But I must be unkind and offer you another. You are brave to ask my reasons for disliking you. My courage is not equal to yours. I will not ask to know what you dislike about me."

"You have nothing to fear from me on that account, but I hope you will not ask or we will be standing here all night while I try to come up with a fault in you."

She laughed softly, and his heart did a funny little flip. "You are too kind, but there is some fault in my taking your bad mood so personally. I should have considered you might have concerns entirely unrelated to me."

"Perhaps so but you must be accustomed to people taking an immediate liking to you so my behavior would seem worse by comparison."

She smiled, and they were silent, but this time it did not feel awkward. When he was sure she would not speak again, Darcy said, "I should apologize for keeping you so long. I only meant to thank you for your kindness to Gigi. I appreciate your feedback and your advice regarding Gigi. I will give careful consideration to what you said on both subjects."

"As long as I'm being so presumptuous as to give you advice, after so short an acquaintance with Gigi, are you open to hearing more?"

"Yes, what is it?"

"The two of you need to think about what to say when people ask where she's been."

Darcy frowned, "I don't feel that is anyone else's concern."

"It's not, but people are bound to ask questions even if they don't mean to be nosy. It would be better to be prepared with what you will say. If you panic every time it will just make people curious. If you say something like 'I appreciate your concern but Gigi doesn't wish to discuss it, and I respect her privacy, thank you for understanding,' it will at least clue them in not to ask more."

"Now that you say it sounds obvious. Thank you for your time. You needn't be afraid of my pestering you with questions like this all summer. That is if you have decided to stay…I hope…"

Lizi smiled, "I will stay."

Even knowing how much he wanted her to stay Darcy was surprised by the magnitude of his own relief, "I'm glad. Shall we go back inside?"

Lizi indicated the outside steps leading up to Darcy's bedroom, "I think I'll just head upstairs."

"Of course. I hope I haven't upset you."

"No, not at all."

They wished each other goodnight and Darcy went back inside.

He was barely through the door when Karo said, "Will, I hope you didn't lose Lizi out there. The two of you were gone for quite a while."

"No, she went upstairs."

"I hope you didn't say anything to upset her. You know how easily she takes offense at the smallest thing."

"I hope so too, but I have her word that I didn't upset her so I'll have to depend on that."

Chad and Jane had gone for a walk, so Karo felt free to put forth more thinly veiled insults, which Darcy only half heard. It occurred to him that Karo, rather than he, might be the reason Lizi went upstairs and the thought cheered him. After letting her go on for a while, he turned to Gigi and asked, "You like Lizi don't you? I mean from what you can tell so far."

"Yes, I like her very much."

"I hoped you would."

He went to bed that night feeling as if he'd only just remembered how to breathe.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi took the stairs slowly. She stopped and sat on the top step. She looked out over the ocean welcoming the cool breeze against her skin. She wasn't sure what to make of the conversation she'd just had with Darcy. She had tried not to be too harsh while still being honest. Had she succeeded? He didn't seem angry.

If she had met Darcy now, when he and his sister arrived at the house, instead of on a night when he must have been at his worst, would they have been friends? It was unlikely the lingerie conversation would have happened in front of his sister. If she'd learned more about him before she'd heard him speaking of women that way would she have accepted it? Everyone had their flaws. She had plenty of friends whose core values were different than her own. Didn't she?

There was one thing they hadn't discussed, how he treats women _after_ he has sex with them. He had asked what she disliked about him _before_ she'd heard from John Wicks and she had no desire to pile on anything else. It was the one thing that could be a problem if they became friends. Darcy hadn't specifically said he _wanted_ to be friends, but he was certainly treating her as if he did. She didn't have a problem with a _friend_ who had recreational sex with no strings attached. It wasn't what she would want, but as long as she didn't have sex with him that wasn't an issue, and that wasn't going to happen, even if he did break his promise not to try, and she was pretty sure he wouldn't break his promise. But if he treated the women, he slept with badly that would be hard to accept. To be fair, when he had propositioned her, he had been as clear as possible about what he wanted what he didn't want. It wasn't as if he was making false promises to get women into bed. At least not if that was how he usually went about it. He could have adopted that way of doing things after running into trouble with other women; if it were true at all. She kept coming back to that. Neither Karo or John Wicks was a reliable source but unless they had colluded it was hard to see how they could say something so similar. And then there was the book, there could be any number of explanations for that, from a joke gift to an old forgotten book, but it could also mean the two had lied. Lizi was almost tempted to look up the book and see when it was published, but she was no longer sure of the title. Anyway, it seemed sort of stalkerish.

Maybe the thing to do was set this issue aside and get to know him like she would any new acquaintance. He seemed ready enough to let her start with a clean slate. As long as she didn't fall in love with him, there was no harm in getting to know him better, as a friend.

Lizi was still outside when Jane came upstairs, "Lizi? What are you doing out here?"

"Just enjoying the breeze, and thinking."

"You aren't upset, are you? Karo said you and Darcy disappeared for a while. I hope you weren't arguing."

"No, nothing like that. He wanted to talk to me about Gigi. His concern for her is touching."

If she had said the same thing to Carla, her friend would have imagined her feelings for Darcy were not only changing but turning in a romantic direction. Jane, however, never suspected people of more than they admitted and was only glad to hear Lizi had found something commendable about Darcy.

A few days later Darcy and Gigi went for a walk. When they returned, they both looked as if they might have been crying, but it might have been the wind.

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _Sometimes stories take on a life of their own and I find there's no use fighting what the story wants to be. When Lizi rejected Darcy she didn't say as much as the original about her reasons for disliking him and when I tried to get her to say more it just ended up feeling forced so I let it be knowing that they would need a conversation later. At the time I was a little annoyed with Lizi for making more work for me but now that I've written this chapter I'm glad of it. I like that they talked all this out at this point when Lizi is more careful about how she phrases her criticism and can own some things herself._

 _BTW: If you try checking that book yourself you will catch me in a mistake. I have Lizi seeing a book on Darcy's shelf that is only available on Kindle-oops. I admit I only looked for some titles and didn't look any further into them, but I'd think I'd have at least checked that you could get a hard copy – oh well. Come to think of it. It's kind of silly that Darcy reads P &P on his kindle, but his sex books are just sitting on his self. Anyway, I'll save you the trouble of looking up the book and tell you it came out in 2014 so there's no clue there as to whether he read it recently or not. _

_Thanks for reading and many thanks to those who reviewed._

 _Next up: A Twist_


	22. A Twist

Over the next two weeks, Darcy did not seek a private conversation with her again, but Lizi could tell he was eager for her and Gigi to get to know each other and noticed he did everything possible to forward any attempts at conversation between them. Karo must have noticed this too, and she seemed all the more determined to monopolize Gigi's attention. She spent far more time at the house now that the Darcys were home and sometimes had Keith, her lifeguard friend, with her. She held Keith's hand and giggled at his jokes, but from the surreptitious glances, she cast in Darcy's direction Lizi wondered how long the relationship would last. She was almost sure Keith was beginning to notice. As to Darcy, if he noticed Karo's attentions to another man at all, it was only to be relieved.

On one of these occasions, Karo looked up from her conversation with Keith to say. "Lizi maybe you and Keith have some friends in common. You and your sisters had _so many_ friends among the lifeguards." Then she asked Keith, "Do you know any of the Seaside lifeguards?"

"It's hard to say without your naming them."

"Our friend Danny Morris," said Lizi, "grew up with us in Seaside Park. He's a year or two younger than I am. We met other lifeguards through him, but he's the only one I would call a friend. I can't claim to have known the others well and have not been in touch with any of them recently."

Darcy looked up at her and smiled.

Karo spoke again. "I have to think that some of them weren't such a good influence on your younger sisters. Girls that age can be so easily influenced by the wrong sort of man."

 _Bitch!_ Lizi reminded herself that Karo couldn't have known that she was causing Gigi pain, but she was still annoyed with her. Gigi had been more relaxed the last few days, and she could almost see her folding back into herself. If Karo weren't trying so hard to caste Lizi in a bad light, she wouldn't keep making these blunders.

To Karo, Lizi said, "I suppose it can be difficult at any age to recognize the wrong sort. The best any of us can do is to learn from our mistakes. At least if we make them while we are young, we can hope there is time to put the lesson to good advantage."

Gigi looked up just for a moment and gave Lizi a small smile before mumbling something about homework and retreating to her room. Darcy looked pleased by Lizi's answer but now that his attention was drawn to his sister his expression darkened.

"Karo," said Keith, "you make it sound as if you think lifeguards have a bad reputation!"

There was an edge to Darcy's voice when he replied that made Lizi shiver. "Perhaps Karo had someone specific in mind."

Karo's cheeks turned red, "No. I only thought Lizi might be missing her friends from Seaside."

"You make it sound," said Lizi, "As if Seaside _Park_ is a journey of several days instead of a short ride, but I do have a friend who is not here this summer, and I miss her quite a bit. I'm afraid I took having a friend around, who doesn't treat me as if we are in competition and with whom I don't have to be on my guard, too much for granted."

"Well, I'm sure you would know the distance better than I would. I doubt any of us have forgotten your biking here last summer."

 _Great comeback._ Why did Karo think she was scoring points by reminding Darcy Lizi had ridden her bike in the rain? Big Whoop. She almost said something about having the sort of sister that made the effort seem like nothing, suspecting such a remark would strike a nerve but stopped herself. She didn't need to sink to Karo's level.

"No," said Darcy, "excuse me, I should see if Gigi needs any help."

 _Good_. Lizi had been half wondering if she should check on Gigi or if it would only make things worse to draw attention to her distress. Otherwise, she might have been sorry for Darcy to leave the room. Jane and Chad were out, and lately, she'd been finding Darcy interesting to talk to. At least Keith looked happy.

.~.~.~.~.

A few days later Lizi was working when Darcy came in for lunch with a woman who looked to be about her parent's age. He looked surprised to see her. "I didn't think you were working today."

"I wasn't, but Tim is sick."

He nodded. "Lizi this is Rayanne, our nanny. I mean she was our nanny when we were children."

Then to Rayanne, he said, "Lizi and her sister are staying with us this summer."

Rayanne smiled, and the three of them exchanged the usual introductory pleasantries. Darcy's phone rang, he checked the number and frowned, "I'm sorry Ray-ray. I have to take this."

She patted him on the cheek. "It's ok, Fitzby."

 _Fitzby_? That was adorable, as was Darcy's sheepish smile at the nickname.

Darcy picked up the phone, "I'll be with you in a minute," to Lizi he said, "I'll have shrimp salad on white toast" and to Rayanne, "Don't wait for me. I'll be back as soon as I can."

He headed for the roof.

"He works so hard," said Rayanne.

"Yes."

"Have you known the Darcys long?"

"I've known Darcy for about a year. Gigi, I only met recently." She then explained how she came to be staying at the Darcys' house. Concluding by saying, "It's really nice of them to let us stay."

"That's just like Will," said Rayanne, "His parents were always extremely generous, and Will is the same way. He was the sweetest, most good-natured child you could ever imagine, never gave me a moment's trouble and in spite of everything he's never lost his good-nature. Never a sharp word for anyone."

This was a little extreme. Lizi had certainly heard a sharp word from him here and there, especially when someone tried to talk to him when he had something on his mind. Chad and Gigi seemed to have a sense of when to leave him alone, but Jane had been snapped at a time or two, though he had apologized immediately. Karo, unsurprisingly, always made things worse by trying to draw him out. So far he'd never been sharp with Lizi, but she supposed that was just luck and, at some point, she'd set him off. However, she smiled at Rayanne and gave a non-committal answer about how unusual it was to meet with someone so good-natured.

Rayanne continued. "You said your house was in Seaside Park? My son John was a lifeguard there."

Lizi tried not to let her voice or expression convey anything of her opinion. "Yes. I met him last summer."

"You being a friend of Will's I wasn't sure you would have. They don't get along."

"So I've heard."

"I think it was hard on John to grow up spending so much time with the Darcys and not have any of that wealth for himself. They were always generous but in some ways that might have made the difference harder for him to accept. I think I overcompensated indulging him where I shouldn't have. …Lizi, you wouldn't be the same Lizi that helped John with his resume would you?"

"Yes, that was me."

Rayanne's smile widened, "That was so nice."

"Has he found anything? We haven't been in touch in a while."

"No. He's lifeguarding again this summer but not here. I think something happened between him and Will recently but neither of them will tell me. I worry about John he… he's made some bad choices. His father struggled with a gambling addiction all his life. I'm afraid John may have inherited the gene."

"I didn't know that. I'm sorry."

"I didn't realize how bad it was until after he died and I found out how much the house was mortgaged. Things would have been tough if the Darcy's hadn't paid off my mortgage…"

Lizi couldn't help looking surprised, and Rayanne stopped talking as if she'd said more than she meant to. "Oh… don't tell Will I told you that. It would embarrass him."

"I won't, but that was very generous." It also begged the question of why John Wicks had spoken of wishing he had more money to help out his mom.

"It was, and they didn't make me feel like it was charity. They really thought of us as family. Will is just like them but look at me chattering away keeping you from working. You want to take my order."

"Not at all we aren't busy right now. I mean, I do want to take your order, but I'm happy to talk."

Rayanne gave Lizi her lunch order and said, "Fitzby didn't give you his sides. He'll want mashed potatoes and applesauce." No, he wouldn't. He would want coleslaw and either fries or a baked potato, or maybe rice but Lizi wasn't going to argue with "Fitzby's" nanny about his lunch order. Those must have been the sides he liked as a child.

By the time their order was ready Darcy was back at the table. He looked a little confused when Lizi gave him his lunch. She said, "Rayanne ordered your sides for you," and he ate them without comment.

Lizi hadn't needed to meet Rayanne in order for her to believe Darcy's story over John Wick's version but seeing Darcy with her was fascinating. She could easily see their affection for each other, and she had never seen Darcy so relaxed or smile so often. It made Lizi feel good to see them together. She didn't question herself as to why she would take pleasure in seeing Darcy happy.

When they were done their meal, Lizi took their plates saying, "Any dessert?"

"Not for me," said Rayanne. "I'm to have ice cream with Gigi."

Darcy glanced at his watch, "We should go soon. Gigi will not be pleased if I monopolize you for too much longer."

"Finish your coffee. I'll just use the restroom before we leave."

When she was gone, Darcy said to Lizi, "This is where she wanted to eat. I didn't realize you were on today."

"I'm not going to start calling you Fitzby if that's what you're worried about."

"No, I didn't mean to make it sound like I didn't _want_ you to meet her. It's just that I know she can be …enthusiastic in her praise of me. I hope that wasn't awkward."

"Not at all. I think it's sweet that she thinks so highly of you."

"She tells me you helped John Wicks with his resume."

"It seemed like a good idea at the time. In retrospect, I wonder why he bothered. I'm not sure he ever sent it out."

"It's likely he didn't but knowing you helped him meant a lot to Rayanne."

"Then I guess something good came out of it."

On her way back from the restroom Rayanne passed Lizi and stopped to tell her, warmly, how much she had enjoyed meeting her and Lizi replied in kind. Darcy was still sitting at the table. Sunlight was coming in the window behind him and from the angle where they were standing it gave him an angelic-like aura. In her mind, Lizi rolled her eyes at the universe. _Yes, you've made your point, there's no need to keep belaboring it like this._ Next, she'd be meeting someone he'd miraculously cured of leprosy.

Rayanne followed Lizi's gaze, "I know I'm biased but he's very handsome, don't you think so?"

"Yes," Lizi felt her cheeks warm, "very handsome."

It wasn't as if she needed this pointed out to her. Her previous dislike of Darcy had immunized her to his physical attractiveness, but the more time she spent with him, the better she liked him and the better she liked him, the more physically appealing he became. Of course, he wasn't perfect, but she was finding more to like than dislike, and he was working to correct his faults which was admirable in and of its self.

There were plenty of opportunities to observe Darcy's physique. Most mornings he went for a swim and walked back to the house before he picked up a towel and dried off, and even then he usually just tied the towel around his waist unless he was skyping into a meeting. In the past, Lizi would have suspected him of flaunting himself but with her newfound determination to give him the benefit of the doubt she reserved judgment and soon realized he was simply comfortable with his body, the likely result of growing up with a house practically on the beach.

His attractiveness was particularly brought to her attention one morning when Lizi went down to the beach and found Darcy and Gigi playing volleyball. It was rare to come upon these two without Karo hovering nearby, and they looked as if they were taking great enjoyment in their game. Lizi moved quietly into one of the Adirondack chairs and pulled out her book, but she kept glancing up to watch the game. Otherwise, she might not have noticed that Darcy always managed to hit the ball when it was difficult but often missed it when it ought to have been easy. When they finished their game, they noticed Lizi and invited her to join them for another.

"Only if your brother promises not to cheat this time. I don't enjoy a game where the outcome is certain."

"Cheat, but I lost!"

Lizi smiled, "Yes."

"Will! Did you let me win?" Gigi gave him a small shove of indignation as she spoke and he looked as if nothing could please him more. It was the first time Lizi had seen her treat her brother in a sportive manner.

"I suppose I got into the habit when you were little. I didn't even realize I was doing it."

"Well, now that you do you must stop! I hope I'm old enough that I can enjoy a game without needing to win."

"Of course. If you and Lizi will play me, I will do my best to redeem myself by winning."

Darcy was true to his word, and Lizi had to give her full attention to the game, no easy task with Darcy jumping around in a bathing suit. It was a close game until Karo joined them and placed herself on Darcy's team. She took every opportunity to bump into Darcy which not only hurt his score but was so clearly annoying him that Lizi finally took pity and pretended to twist her ankle for the purpose of ending the game. If she had thought through the probable ramifications of such an action, she wouldn't have taken it. Gigi ran back to the house to get her ice while Darcy helped Lizi to a chair. He slipped an arm around her and insisted she lean on him. With both of them wearing bathing suits this meant a fair amount of touching skin and they were both perspiring from the game.

Karo glared at her probably wishing _she_ had thought of twisting an ankle. "I guess you'll have to call in sick, you can't work if you can't walk, and you won't be able to go in the ocean, what a shame."

Lizi hadn't thought of that. She didn't want to miss work nor did she like the idea of pretending to hobble around for a couple of days. "Maybe it will be well enough to walk on by the time I need to go to work."

"You had better not chance it. You should call out now so that you give them as much notice as possible."

"It wouldn't hurt," said Darcy, "to give it a little time. May I?"

The question was addressed to Lizi, indicating her ankle, and she nodded. Darcy knelt in the sand in front of her and gently ran his fingers over her ankle and then over the other as if to compare them. "Tell me if I hurt you." He lifted her foot and moved it in a walking motion then he did the same with the other. "Your ankle is a little swollen, but it doesn't seem to be broken or sprained. I wouldn't be surprised if you felt better in a couple of hours."

Gigi arrived with the ice and a bottle of Advil and Lizi panicked. Darcy's touch had distracted her. Which ankle had she pretended to twist? But Darcy took the ice from his sister and put it on her ankle, _the left of course._ Darcy winked at her. Had he realized she had faked her injury? What if he thought she was as bad as Karo, faking an injury just to get close to him? Why had she done something so stupid? Surely there were easier ways to end a game. For that matter, why hadn't she left Darcy to take care of himself?

"If in a little while you are able to put some weight on it," said Darcy, "swimming might be good for it. I would be happy to help you to the water."

Lizi wouldn't have thought it possible for Karo's expression to grow more vicious than it already was but now she almost felt she should check that she wasn't catching fire from the intensity of Karo's glare. Lizi swallowed an Advil she didn't need and said, "Thank you, but for now I'll just sit here with the ice. You all don't need to babysit me. Maybe Karo and Gigi should play Darcy." That would solve the problem of Karo continually bumping into Darcy, but no one seemed inclined to resume the game, and they all settled into chairs around her. She wasn't going to get out of this easily, but at least Darcy had said enough that she wouldn't need to call out of work and might even be able to swim. Was that a coincidence or was he purposely helping her? A wink could mean a lot of things.

 _Left ankle_ , she reminded herself, _left ankle, left ankle, left ankle_ … she couldn't take the chance of forgetting again.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy didn't have anything so urgent to do today that he couldn't leave it until after Lizi went to work. If she really had hurt herself, she might need help. If not she might need him to help cover the fact that she wasn't really hurt without missing work. He knew she wouldn't want to miss work. She couldn't have thought that through. He'd noticed she often acted impulsively when it came to helping someone. A quality he found both exasperating and endearing.

For a moment after Lizi had fallen Darcy had pictured himself scooping her up in his arms and carrying her back to the house, but he had quickly given himself a reality check and settled for helping her limp over to a chair and checking her ankle. Was he being silly and only imagining she had faked an injury to save him from Karo? Was it wishful thinking that she would _care_ if Karo was annoying him?

Sooner or later he was going to have to do something about Karo, but he wasn't sure what to do. He'd done everything he could think of to let her know he wasn't interested, including telling her he wasn't interested. After the incident last summer he'd spelled it all out in no uncertain terms, but it seemed to only increase her desperation and make her that much more difficult. Keith seemed to like Karo a great deal, and at first, Darcy had hoped he would prove to be a distraction for her, but now he didn't have much hope of the relationship lasting. Keith wasn't stupid.

This morning not even Karo's presence could ruin his pleasure. It was a beautiful day, his sister had spoken to him in a manner she hadn't done since before their parents died, and Lizi had leaned on him without any evidence of disgust and had (maybe) even faked an injury to rescue him from Karo. He leaned back in his chair closing his eyes and taking in the moment. He wanted to recall this feeling later in perfect detail.

* * *

 _Sorry that title was kind of misleading. I know some of you are anxious to get to upcoming plot points but I need them to spend some more time getting to know each other. Next up: Breath_

 _And again, if you don't like the choices I've made for the characters please hang in a little longer until you see how it all plays out. But, I'm excited by the questions some of you are asking._

 _Thanks for the reviews and thanks to those who have favorited or followed._


	23. Breathe

"Darcy," said Chad one evening, "Jane and I were just saying how neither of us has ever been to Barnegat Lighthouse."

Darcy looked up from his laptop. "Fascinating. You must be soul-mates."

Chad rolled his eyes, "It's just that it's so close."

"It would be close if we could cross the inlet from one Island to the other. Going around by land takes about an hour."

"Even so."

"It's not unusual," said Lizi, "to fail to visit a place that is close-by. You always think you can go anytime and never end up going. Grounds for Sculpture is very close to Meryton, but I have never been."

"You should go to Grounds for Sculpture some time," said Darcy, "I think you would enjoy it." Wait, was Grounds for Sculpture expensive by ordinary standards? Should he offer her one of the guest passes he received as a benefactor or were tickets inexpensive enough that it would sound condescending. Would he sound entitled if he offered to arrange a private tour? Why was this so _hard_?

Lizi showed no sign of annoyance in her reply, "Oh, I intend to go _sometime_ but that has been my intention for years, and I have never made a _point_ of going."

"Well, we should all make a point of going to the lighthouse," said Chad, "since none of us have ever been."

"I've been," Darcy replied.

"You have? When?"

"As a kid, I was probably nine or ten. My parents took me."

"How come _I_ didn't go?" Chad almost sounded like a child who had missed out on a treat.

"I don't know. Maybe your parents didn't think it was safe. In your family, the kids outnumbered the adults, and you climbed everything like a monkey any chance you got."

Chad glared at Karo, "It was probably because the kids outnumbered the adults."

Lizi looked like she was repressing a smile, "If you will promise not to climb the lighthouse like a monkey, we can rectify the injustice of Darcy having gone without you."

"Yes," Chad replied. Then addressing himself to Lizi and Jane, "When is the next time you are both off?"

"We had better start," said Darcy, "by asking when Keith is off, and then finding a day when neither Jane nor Lizi is working in the morning. We can easily be back by 4:00."

Keith looked a little surprised but said with a little notice he could easily switch with someone, several of his friends owed him one, and a day was chosen for the excursion.

"But will that day work for _you_ Will?" Karo asked, "Your schedule isn't normally so flexible, but lately you seem to have more free time than usual. I hope you are learning to relax a little." Keith's eyes darted quickly between Darcy and Karo.

"It's fine for me," said Darcy more sharply than he meant to. "We should get an early start, avoid traffic."

"Why not take your boat?" asked Karo, "Then we could cross the inlet like you said."

"We can't. I sold it."

Karo pouted, "You sold your _boat_ but _why_?"

"I didn't use it enough to be worth keeping."

"But…"

Chad interrupted her speaking softly, "Leave it be Karo." To Darcy's surprise, she didn't say anything else.

He wished Chad would use this power more often.

.~.~.~.~.

The morning of the lighthouse visit. Darcy had put up the back seats in his new Volvo so they could all go in one car. To Lizi's surprise, Chad jumped into the front passenger seat next to Darcy. She had expected him to sit with Jane. Maybe he got carsick or something.

Keith climbed into the back checking out the interior and saying, "Nice, what is this your mom's?"

"It's Darcy's!" Karo hissed at him ensuring that if anyone had missed his comment they were aware of it now.

"Oh, sorry. It just has a mom-mobile picking everybody up from the soccer game kind of vibe."

"I think you'll find," said Chad, "that it's more of a picking me and my friends up when we've been drinking, and I have to call Darcy for a ride kind of vibe, but he does take us for ice-cream sometimes."

Lizi had been about to comment that none of the soccer mom's in her neighborhood had anything this luxurious but she realized Chad had turned the conversation away from parents. She said instead, "I can't imagine that has happened very often."

"Not often but we have an agreement, and I have called Darcy more often than he has called me, so I have the better part of the bargain."

"I suspect," said Darcy, "that Chad only drinks because he's hoping I'll take him for ice-cream."

"Wouldn't it be easier just to ask you to take him for ice-cream?"

"It probably would, but he seems to enjoy the subterfuge."

"You have figured me out," said Chad, "the truth is Darcy might say no to ice-cream, but he'll always come if I've had a drink."

"Chad!" said Jane, "You shouldn't take advantage of Darcy like that!"

Everyone laughed, and Jane seemed to realize they'd been joking and joined in the laughter.

After spending more time with them, it was easy for Lizi to see why Chad and Darcy were such good friends. They had known each other so long they had an easy, comfortable friendship and could be silly together and they had each other's backs. Darcy's protectiveness of Chad was obvious, but Lizi hadn't realized until recently how protective Chad was of Darcy. He didn't mind looking silly and would say any silly thing to draw attention away from certain topics or situations without one realizing he was doing it.

When they arrived at the lighthouse, Lizi took the opportunity to draw Keith aside and let him know the Darcys' parents had passed away.

He frowned, "Karo didn't tell me."

"I figured. I think they forget not everyone knows."

"Maybe, or maybe…" he shook his head. "Maybe I shouldn't have come today. Karo and I are going to have to talk. I like her, but I don't like feeling like she would dump me in second if Darcy so much as crooked his little finger."

He had noticed then. She'd figured it was only a matter of time. If Lizi had tried to have a quick, quiet word with Darcy Karo would have popped up between them like a Jack-in-the-box.

She wouldn't do him any favors by trying to deny it, so Lizi only said, "I'm sorry."

"Yea, me too, but what can you do, right?"

Just then Chad turned and made some comment to Keith, and she was saved from having to reply.

It looked like Keith would have an opportunity to talk to Karo sooner than he expected. They had only gone a short way up the stairs when it became clear she wasn't going to make it to the top in the shoes she had worn. She seemed a little put-out when Keith was the only one who turned back with her, to look at the views transmitted by camera to the interpretive center, but it wasn't like she didn't know she was going to a light-house when she chose her shoes.

The rest of them continued up the steps and emerged at the top. Even though Lizi didn't have a problem with heights, she had been worried it would be scary to be up so high, but the lightkeeper's catwalk was basically caged in with solid bars. Lizi wasn't scared at all, in fact, she LOVED it up here, the view, the wind whipping through her hair, the sun. She walked around shooting pictures until she realized she must have gone around enough that she'd taken the same photos several times. She put her phone away and just stood enjoying it all. She wasn't sure how much time had passed when she looked around and realized she and Darcy were the only ones still up here. "I'm sorry. Were you waiting for me?"

He smiled, "No rush, I was just enjoying the view."

"We should probably catch up to the others."

"Ok."

Lizi hadn't realized how much more difficult going down the stairs would be than going up had been. Suddenly the stairs seemed much more narrow and much more steep and seemed to spiral away beneath her feet into infinity. She might have been better off if there had been a hollow center she could look down and assure herself the ground was there, no matter how far away, but the steps extended from the wall to a pole at the center of the lighthouse. OK, she had to do this. It was the only way down. She started down the steps. How had she not realized the shape of these steps? The way they were narrower on one end than the other. It made her feel like she wasn't sure where she was putting her feet. She was going to fall! She froze. She was gripping the banisters on each side so hard it was painful.

"Lizi, breathe." Darcy's voice was soft and calm. He was standing just behind her, and his breath tickled her ear.

"I can't."

"Yes you can, deep breaths. Don't think about anything but breathing." He spoke in a calm even voice as if he were leading a meditation. "Deep breath in… good… now slowly let it out… very good… one more …"

She took some deep breaths, and it helped, but she still wasn't going to be able to move.

"Good. Now let me get in front of you."

"No. Don't leave me!"

"I'm not going to leave you. I just want to get in front of you so you can look at me instead of the steps."

"Ok." But that would require her to let go of one of the banisters.

Darcy put his hand over hers. "Come on take my hand. I won't let you fall."

She closed her eyes and grasped his hand as if for dear life and moved over enough to let him squeeze by, sort of, he had to press against her pretty closely to do it.

"Ok, Lizi, look at me."

She opened her eyes. Darcy was standing facing her he took a step down, "Now…"

She gripped his hand even more tightly then she had been doing and squeezed her eyes shut. "Oh God, please don't do that!"

"What? What did I do?"

Lizi felt a tear slide down her cheek. "Please don't stand with your back to the steps like that or walk down backward. I can't stand it."

"Oh, sorry. He placed her hand back on the banister. Ok, I'm facing the right way. Sorry. I didn't mean to make it worse."

"No, I'm sorry for getting so upset when you're trying to help me."

"It's OK, I understand. Do you have a pen?"

"In my purse." There was no way she was letting go of the banister to look through her purse.

"May I?"

"Yes."

It was a little tricky for Darcy to look into her purse without standing backward on the steps but he managed to fish out a pen. He pulled off his shirt. Well, that would certainly give her something to distract her from the steps. He drew a smiley face on the back of his shirt, put it back on, and returned the pen. "Ok, deep breaths and try to focus on the smiley face instead of the steps. We'll go down nice and slow."

Just the fact that he had probably ruined his shirt for her distracted her enough that she was able to move again. Darcy stayed ahead of her walking slowly, looking back frequently to check that she was still with him, and making encouraging remarks. Luckily it wasn't too crowded here today, but from time to time someone would be coming up the steps, and she had to let go of one of the banisters to let them by. At those points, she would turn and grip the right-hand banister with both hands and close her eyes. Darcy would gently touch her hand and say something like, "keep breathing you're doing well," or "we'll be about half-way down now you have more behind you than ahead." When they came to a window, she was able to stop and rest and let any people behind her get ahead, but there weren't many places where she could do that. Toward the end, she was pretty sure some of the people behind her had gone past her on their way up, but no one complained about how slow she was going.

Finally, they reached the bottom. Darcy led her outside, found her a place to sit and got her a water. She took a long drink, and he asked, "Better?"

"Yes. Sorry for all the fuss. I never had a problem with heights before or I wouldn't have gone up. It was just something about those steps."

"There's no reason to be sorry fear isn't always rational." They sat quietly for a little while and then he said, "The way you felt when I stood with my back to the steps. That's how I feel when someone runs into the street."

 _Seriously?_ She had no idea what to say.

Darcy spoke again, "As I said, fear isn't always rational."

"I'm sorry. I wouldn't wish that feeling on anyone. I had no idea. If it will make you feel better, I'll promise never to run out into the street without looking again."

He smiled, "I'd rather you were careful for the sake of your own safety, but I'll take what I can get."

"Thanks for helping me get down the steps." The words didn't even come close to expressing her attitude, but they were the only ones she could think of.

"No problem."

"I guess we should find the others they'll be wondering what happened to us." She was almost sorry to say it, and it might have been her imagination, but she thought she sensed an equal reluctance in Darcy when he agreed.

They didn't see their friends in the interpretive center or anywhere nearby. Darcy said, "We could check the nature trail."

They could also text one of them and find out where they were, but Lizi didn't mention this and agreed to checking the trail. They walked along in companionable silence reading the signs and sometimes commenting on things they saw. They finished the trail and were just discussing where they should look next when Darcy got a text from Chad asking if he was ready for lunch and reminding him that the cooler was locked in his car. They picked up the cooler and met the others in the picnic area. Karo and Keith were both quiet. It was kind of nice to be able to carry on a conversation with Darcy and Gigi without Karo interrupting, but Lizi felt bad for Keith.

After lunch, they all walked along the Inlet Walkway for about half an hour but the day had grown hot, and there was no swimming here, so they decided to go to Dairy Queen and then head back. They had left early enough in the morning that traffic was light and they made good time, but on the way home they got stuck in lunch hour traffic. Lizi was sitting directly behind Chad and heard him say quietly, "breathe."

She glanced over at Darcy and noticed how tightly he was gripping the steering wheel. He took a deep breath.

Chad spoke again, "I'm sure it's just traffic. There's always a lot of traffic at this intersection."

"I'm sure you're right."

"Do you want me to drive?"

"No. I'm fine. Thank you."

.~.~.~.~.

That evening Lizi and Jane were both working, and Karo was out for once. Darcy had better enjoy Karo's absence while he could. She had either gone out to patch things up with Keith or to end things with him, and Darcy didn't have much hope of the former. Gigi was studying in her room, and Chad was downstairs meeting with the contractor, so Darcy was alone in the living room. Normally being alone would have been a breath of fresh air after so much time with people but he found himself wishing Lizi were here.

He got up to get a drink and Chad returned. "Darcy, did you know someone drew a smiley face on our back?"

"Hmm? Oh, yea, I drew that."

He got his drink and went back to the report he'd been reading.

"So you're going to make me ask?"

"What?"

"Darcy, why did you draw a smiley face on your back?"

"Lizi got scared coming down the steps at the lighthouse."

"And…"

"And I drew a smiley face to distract her from the steps."

"You should have just kissed her."

"Don't be silly." _As if I wasn't thinking about that the entire day._ Her delight at the top of the lighthouse had been captivating, and he had enjoyed walking the nature trail with her. At times he had forgotten the others were there. Was that what a "normal date" would be like, enjoying a woman's company? Maybe Rick had been right.

"Well, I'm glad you two are friends now anyway. It makes things easier if you get along."

 _Friends_. He had thought so too, but he'd been wrong about her feelings before. Did he dare to hope she wasn't merely being civil to her sister's, boyfriend's, best friend for the sake of keeping the peace while they were all in the same house? Her friendship felt like something precious and fragile. If they _were_ friends, he didn't want to do anything to put that friendship at risk. _Right, so no more thinking about Kissing her._

Darcy returned his attention to his work. He had a lot to catch up on after taking so much of the day off. By the time he thought to ask Chad if he meant something particular when he spoke of making things easier Karo was back and the moment had passed.

* * *

 _A/N: I actually got stressed and had to take a break writing Lizi getting scared on the steps. Funny that I never got scared writing her fighting vampires but going down the steps got to me. Though I did find those steps pretty scary to go down the one time I visited that lighthouse._

 _Thanks as always to those who reviewed, favorited and followed. Next up: Bird Blind_


	24. Bird Blind

_A/N: Wow! Thanks for all the reviews! That last chapter got even more than the "proposal" chapter, and all positive to boot. :)_

* * *

For the next week or so Karo sighed so often and made so many comments about how she couldn't _be_ with the sort of man who was jealous of an _old_ _friend_ , that Darcy was half tempted to suspend the bathroom ground-rules just to have a break from her. She made having any sort of conversation, let alone a private one, with Lizi almost impossible for Darcy and the only reason Gigi could sometimes manage it was because he distracted Karo. Of course, he could just ask Lizi for a private word, but then he'd need a reason. He wanted it to happen naturally like it had at the lighthouse, or the morning she had joined him and his sister on the beach.

The Bartley's had considered coming down for fourth of July but with their unit not being available and it falling mid-week they decided to wait until later in the summer and not be bothered with holiday traffic. Darcy was relieved. He liked the Bartleys, of course, but he knew if he spent much time with Brian the conversation was bound to turn to a topic he did not wish to discuss at present. All he needed was a little more time. Jane and Lizi were both working on the fourth. Chad wasn't interested in doing anything special without Jane and Darcy was just as happy to spend the day quietly. They were all able to meet in time to watch the fireworks together. Later that night Chad announced that the downstairs unit would be fit for occupation the following week.

Lizi made a comment about moving downstairs, and Gigi said, "Oh, but _you_ aren't moving down are you?"

Lizi looked surprised, "Well, yea, I mean it was the Bartley's I was invited to stay with so…yea."

"But I was just getting to know you."

"I'll only be downstairs."

"Yes but still… can't you stay with us? _I'm_ inviting you. We'll have plenty of room now." Darcy could have hugged Gigi. He was not only proud of her for putting herself forward, but she was saying exactly what he wished he could say.

"You're very kind," said Lizi, "but I feel like I've imposed on you and your brother so much already."

Darcy had better say something. "It's no imposition at all. Gigi is right we have plenty of room, and it's been some time since she invited a friend to stay with us. We'd be glad to have you." He met Lizi's eyes as he said this. Hoping to convey a deeper meaning though he hardly knew what.

When she still looked doubtful, he added, "You don't have to decide right this minute, but if Chad and Jane can spare you, you are more than welcome here. In fact, it will feel awfully empty up here if you don't stay so you'd be doing us a favor."

Karo didn't say a word during this entire conversation. Darcy would be happy to think she'd move downstairs with her brother but he knew it wasn't going to be that easy.

The next evening Jane and Chad went for a walk and came back engaged. Everyone said they were "very happy" for them and no one seemed the least bit surprised. They'd been "taking it slow" for so long that their engagement was almost anti-climactic.

The next morning Darcy and Gigi were working in the living room when Lizi came down the stairs. She was wearing shorts and sneakers and was pulling a t-shirt on over her bathing suit. "Is Chad here?"

Darcy answered, "He went to Home Depot. Why?"

"Rats. Any chance you have time to give me a ride to Fitzgigi's? Jane has our car."

"Yes, but is something wrong?" It couldn't be that they needed her to work. She wasn't in uniform."

"I don't' know. Jane just called me. Mr. Wood is there, and he's very upset. More upset than usual she said he was asking for me.

Darcy remembered how much Mr. Wood liked Lizi but this was concerning. "Are you sure it's a good idea for you to go?"

"No, but he's never done anything like this before. Maybe something is wrong. I'd rather ere on the side of trying to help."

"Very well. I trust your instincts. I'll go with you."

"You can just drop me off. It's just that my bike would take so long."

"I'd like to come with you. If there's a problem, I might as well be on the scene." He picked up his keys and headed toward the door.

"If you're coming to the restaurant don't you want clothes?"

"Hmm?" Oh right, he was wearing a bathing suit from his morning swim. He'd wrapped a towel around his waist to protect the furniture."

Lizi laughed "I'm not in _that_ much of a hurry."

Gigi giggled, and Darcy grabbed some clothes and quickly pulled them over his suite. It was dry enough. Out of habit he also brought his laptop with him.

When they got to the restaurant, Mr. Wood was sitting with his arms crossed and frowning. Lizi took a seat across from him. "Mr. Wood, what's going on?"

"Nobody takes the trouble to get my order right when you aren't here."

"I see, but I don't work in the morning that often. Is there a reason you are particularly upset today?"

"It's been more than a week since you worked in the morning."

"Yes, it has, but I will be here tomorrow."

"I thought you would be here today and I would get to say goodbye."

"Goodbye?"

"I won't be here tomorrow. I'm moving in with my son. I leave later today."

"Mr. Wood, I would have been happy to come say goodbye to you if I knew it was your last day. I'm sorry you'll be leaving."

He shrugged, "Me too but what can you do?"

Maybe there was something Darcy could do. I would be a small thing but… "Mr. Wood, I'm sorry to be losing your patronage. I hate to think that after all these years we've never managed to please you. I understand from Lizi that you are a retired chef."

Darcy was already wondering if this was a stupid idea but the pride in Mr. Wood's voice when he answered convinced him to try it. He continued, "Then I wonder, since it is your last time with us, if you would like to prepare your own breakfast. I hope it's not too presumptuous of me to ask, but I'd like to ensure you get one meal here that is exactly as you want it."

Mr. Wood's face lit up, "I'd be glad to. May I make breakfast for Lizi too if she will join me?"

"Of course."

Lizi said she would be happy to have breakfast with Mr. Wood and it was settled. She turned to Darcy and smiled in a way that made him catch his breath. "You don't have to wait for me I can find a way home."

 _How?_ "No, it's fine, I have some work I can do." He went into the kitchen to let Frank know what was going on. Then he ordered breakfast for himself and sat at a nearby table with his laptop open, but he kept getting distracted watching Lizi. She had Mr. Wood smiling and laughing. She was amazing. God he loved her.

Darcy paused in the middle of taking a sip of coffee startled by his own thought even as he felt the truth of it. _I love her._ The words were simultaneously a revelation and something he had known for a long time. He was in love with Elizabeth Bennet. The irony did not escape him. How long had this been true? It had come on so gradually he hadn't noticed. Had he already loved her when she'd shown up in his kitchen? He'd wanted so desperately for her to stay but was he in love at that point? Had he loved her last fall? No, he'd been infatuated with her then but he'd just been thinking of his own feelings. He couldn't call that love, but he'd also been wrong to think he only wanted sex. He'd convinced himself of it the way a man falling off a cliff will grasp at anything to try to save himself. But why? He'd had good reasons, at the time, not to want a relationship …hadn't he? As he recalled them now, they seemed like nothing in comparison with the idea of not having Lizi in his life. Had he fallen in love with her simply because she had turned him down? No, that wasn't it. How had he ever been so stupid as to think one weekend with her would have satisfied him? He felt now that a lifetime in her company would leave him wanting more and he couldn't tell her. There was too much risk that it would look like he was trying to seduce her again and he had promised not to. They were just getting to be friends he didn't want to mess that up. Maybe once summer was over, he could say something. He would just have to pray she didn't meet anyone else in the meantime.

Lizi and Mr. Wood finished their breakfast, and Mr. Wood came over to Darcy and shook his hand. "You remind me of your father."

Darcy hadn't expected that. He felt a lump in his throat and had to swallow several times before he could manage a raspy, "Thank you."

As they walked out of Fitzgigi's Lizi looked like she was blinking back tears. Darcy waited until they were in the car to ask if she was ok.

"I'm fine. It's just, Mr. Wood thanked me for treating him with such dignity. It made me kind of sad."

"Why is that?"

"I didn't do anything special."

"I think you did more than you realize. It comes so naturally to you that you don't even know you are doing something out of the ordinary. People warm up to you so easily. I envy that. I never know what to say to people I don't know well."

"It was so kind of you to let him cook. It really meant a lot to him. I would have thought there would be insurance issues or something about letting a customer do that."

"There are, but I figured it was worth the risk. I'm glad he enjoyed it. I would never have thought of it if you hadn't told me all you did about him. Knowing so much about him made me want to cheer him up and do something to make his last day with us special."

"We make a good team."

Darcy's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't started the car yet. This was the first time he'd been alone with Lizi since the Lighthouse and, having just realized he was in love with her, he didn't want to give her up just yet. "Lizi do you want to get back or would you like to do something?"

"What did you have in mind?"

He hadn't thought that far ahead. It was unlike him to just blurt something out. It would need to be something that wouldn't seem extravagant. Something he would do with a friend he wasn't trying to seduce. "Have you ever been to the bird blind in Island Beach?"

"I've always meant to. But I've heard you need to cover up from the mosquitoes and good bug spray."

"The mosquitoes won't bother us in the helicopter." He tried not to smile, but at the look on her face, he couldn't help it. "Too soon?"

She laughed. He had made her laugh! He spoke again, "I keep all that stuff in the car. Gig's things should fit you."

"You go often then?"

"Not too often, but often enough that it's worth having the stuff in the car in case we want to go."

"Ok, let's do it."

They drove through the park without talking until Lizi said, "I've been thinking of your saying that people warm up to me easily. I think it simply takes people longer with you because you are not so easily known. There is always something new to discover about you."

"I'm not sure if that is good or bad."

"It is only an observation, but I will say that the more I learn about you, the better I like you and I have noticed how much your friends esteem you, so I take it that your friendships are deeper for having been less casually formed. From what I've read this is common with introverts."

 _The more I learn about you, the better I like you_ that was encouraging. Could she ever… he pushed the thought aside not wanting to allow himself to hope and said, "That is something I've never been able to figure out, whether you are an introvert or an extrovert. You seem to enjoy being with people, but you seem to enjoy solitary activities as well." Did that sound weird, like he'd been studying her?

"I guess I would fall somewhere in the middle. I think I need both time with people and time alone to balance each other out."

Darcy nodded. This was interesting, but he couldn't think of anything to say in reply. Who cared about a label? She was perfect. Why hadn't he said something that would lead to further conversation? Then again maybe it was better to be silent. He had never been careless with his words but today the words, 'I love you,' might easily fall off his tongue if he weren't vigilant about keeping them back. They rode on in silence until they reached the small lot near the trail to the Spizzle Creek Bird Blind.

When they had parked, Darcy handed Lizi a linen top and pants. They were loose fitting enough that they should be fine for her. He was glad he still had his bathing suit on. He pulled off the shirt and shorts he'd been wearing and put on his own set of long pants and long sleeves. Lizi moved to the other side of the car to do the same thing out of his sight. He smiled. He knew she was wearing a bathing suit. Most women he knew seemed to make a point of prancing around in front of him scantily clad. But of course, Lizi wasn't trying to seduce him, so it made sense that she didn't. He'd only seen her wear her bathing suit uncovered when she was on the beach. When she returned, he gave her a hat, and they sprayed each other with bug spray. If Darcy weren't already in love with Lizi, her willingness to walk through clouds of mosquitoes without complaining might have pushed him over the edge. The bug spray kept the mosquitoes from landing on them, but it didn't keep them away, and there were parts of the trail where they were thick.

.~.~.~.~.

For the sake of advancing the narrative, there ought to have been a sudden storm that forced them to shelter in the Bird Blind huddled together for warmth or, failing that, something to inspire awe like a hatchling emerging from an egg or a fledgling taking its first flight. The sort of shared experience that would bring two people closer together as they held hands in breathless anticipation. But nature showed a careless disregard for literary convention and only provided them with a hot, humid, day and plenty of mosquitoes along the trail. They did, however, see an Osprey bring a fish to its nest and the occasional head or beak peeking up as the bird fed it's young. The look of tenderness on Darcys' face, alone, was worth the walk. Lizi could almost have imagined he had forgotten she was there except that he kept passing her his binoculars.

On part of the trail, they walked single file, and Lizi was behind Darcy. His bathing suit was a bright blue and showed through the thin white fabric of his pants. As often as Lizi said to herself, "So what? I've seen him in a bathing suite plenty of times." It didn't seem to matter. Her eyes kept returning to his butt, and she kept feeling as if she were seeing his underwear.

They had just reached the part of the trail where they were able to walk next to each other when Darcy put out his hand to stop her and pointed silently to a red fox crossing the path ahead of them in pursuit of its prey. They stood still, watching it, until it disappeared into the tall grasses.

When they got back to the car, Darcy said, "Thank you for coming with me. I know it's a hot walk for something you could see better on the webcam."

"True but, aside from the mosquitos, I enjoyed the walk, and there's something about seeing it in person…"

Darcy's face brightened, "Yes! That is just what I think."

As they drove back to the house, Darcy spoke more of the Osprey and then with an abrupt change of subject asked, "Have you decided whether you will stay with us or move downstairs?"

She hadn't, but there would be a final inspection in the morning, and then it would be time to move, so she better decide quickly.

"Are you sure I wouldn't be imposing?"

"Yes, we would like to have you."

In many ways, she would rather stay upstairs. Jane was no longer uncomfortable staying alone with Chad and Lizi didn't especially like the idea of being a third wheel downstairs. "I would move into the bunk-room?" It seemed absurd even to ask, but she had to make sure. When Darcy hesitated to answer, she added, "I can't continue to keep your room from you. You must wish to work up there."

Darcy looked for a moment like he might protest but then he nodded. "I admit it is more conducive to some of my work. If you want to switch, I won't argue."

"Then I will stay. I work in the morning tomorrow, but most of my stuff is packed. I can finish tonight and leave most of it in the living room then bring the rest of it down in the morning before I go, so you'll be free to move back up, and I can put my stuff in the bunk-room when I get home."

"There's no hurry. Just because Jane and Chad are moving tomorrow doesn't mean we can't switch rooms on a day we find convenient."

"It's just as easy for me to do it tomorrow. Unless that's bad for you."

"As you wish."

When they got home, Darcy said, "We should both shower. The bug spray we used is strong. It's better not to leave it on."

Lizi went upstairs to grab something to change into. As she came down the steps, she heard Darcy saying sharply, "Nothing you would have been interested in."

Karo replied, "I was only taking a friendly interest."

"We aren't friends."

"It's been almost _a year_ , aren't we _ever_ going to be friends again?"

"I don't see how we can be."

By this point, Lizi had come into the room, and they both turned to look at her. Karo raised an eyebrow at her as if to say, _"See, what I mean?"_

Darcy grabbed a towel, turned, and walked out of the living room. Lizi followed him down the steps to the outside showers, and they each entered one of the stalls. Lizi sat down on the bench to take her sneakers off. (Luckily she'd been planning to take a bike-ride before Jane called her about Mr. Wood or she wouldn't have been wearing shoes appropriate for a hike.) There was about a foot of space beneath the stalls and Lizi could see Darcy's feet as he stepped out of his shoes. Then his shirt hit the floor, followed by his pants and bathing suit. Lizi felt her cheeks burn almost feeling as if she'd walked in on him getting changed. But that was silly. Even so, she waited until he moved from the changing area into the shower before getting undressed herself. Of course, when she got into the shower, she could see his feet again. Why was she being so silly? Surely there had been other occasions when someone had been in the shower next to her, and she had never felt weird about it before.

"Lizi?"

She jumped, "Yes?"

"If you just leave your clothes in the shower I'll take them and wash them all together."

"Um, ok."

Why couldn't she stop thinking about him being naked a few feet away from her? She purposely lingered in the shower so that they wouldn't be walking out at the same time, but when she opened the door, Darcy was standing there in a towel with a bag for the cloths. She'd seem him in a towel before. Why did everything feel so sexually charged all of a sudden?

"No!" She said to herself sternly in the mirror later. "No becoming attracted to Darcy!" They were just getting to be friends. Sex would ruin that. _We aren't friends. I don't see how we can be._ What if Karo was telling the truth? Had she made a mistake in choosing to stay with the Darcys? She couldn't change her mind now without a good reason. She had promised Gigi.

* * *

 _A/N: There was a clue in what Darcy said when he offered the one-weekend stand (ch 13) that he's fooling himself to think he just wants sex and Jane later remarks on the inconsistency in (ch 16)._

 _Next up: Nightmare (and by nightmare I don't mean Karo)._


	25. Nightmare

_Darcy was standing in front of her wearing only a towel. He let it fall to the ground._

 _"Don't look down."_

 _He took a step backward, and fell tumbling down the steps of the lighthouse…_

"NO!"

Lizi sat straight up, her eyes wide open. Jane stirred beside her in the bed. It had just been a dream. She laid back down, breathing heavily, and tried to go back to sleep.

It was impossible. No matter how long she lay there, she was still as awake as ever. She felt like her nerves were buzzing with electricity, and she couldn't get comfortable. Afraid of disturbing Jane, she got up and quietly snuck out of the room and down the steps, and took a seat in a lounge chair on the porch.

The house was quiet. It had to be around two or three in the morning. She hadn't slept very long – she'd been kept awake trying to sort out her feelings for Darcy. She had come to enjoy and value his company, and there was no denying that she was attracted to him. Could she keep her physical attraction to him separated from their friendship? He'd been clear in the fall that he didn't want a romantic relationship – but he hadn't wanted friendship in the fall either, and he'd gone out of his way to become friends, surely that wasn't all for his sister's sake. Part of Lizi felt that it would be a mistake to explore her feelings for Darcy – if he always compartmentalized sex the way that he had in the fall, it would only lead to pain. On the other hand, if his feelings had changed, there might come a point when she needed to know her own. Part of her felt she should figure it out, just in case.

These thoughts continued to occupy Lizi's mind, until suddenly Darcy dashed through the door and ran down to the beach holding a towel to his mouth. He hadn't noticed her sitting there. What was going on? Was he hurt? Should she follow him? Or did he want to be alone? She hesitated briefly, but she couldn't just ignore him.

When she got to the beach, Darcy was sitting with his face buried in a towel. He was sobbing.

Lizi knelt next to him, "Darcy?" She put her arms around him.

Between the towel and the sobs, it was hard to understand what he said, but it sounded like, "Go away!"

"No." She hugged him tighter.

At first, he was stiff, but he gradually relaxed in her arms, and then he rested his head against her, continuing to sob. She stroked his hair, murmuring words of comfort until he calmed.

He pulled away from her, and sat up wiping his eyes. "Sorry."

She put a hand on his shoulder. "It's OK."

"I had a nightmare."

"It must've been a nasty one."

"It was. It was about when my parents died. I have it from time to time when I'm stressed."

"Was it a car accident?"

He nodded. "They were on their way down here. It was raining. A tractor-trailer jack-knifed. I was driving separately, because I wanted to have my car here. It was a convertible, and I wanted… it doesn't matter. I should have been with them. I was only a few minutes behind, I saw…I saw…"

He choked up, and she put her arms around him again. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to."

He rested his forehead against her shoulder for a moment before continuing, "There was a fire. Gigi was in the back-seat. I was able to get her out, but my parents… I tried to go back, but by then more people had arrived, and a group of guys pulled me away. I should've… I should've…"

"Darcy, it's not your fault. There's nothing you could've done."

"That's what everyone kept telling me."

"Have you talked to anyone about your dreams?"

"Just you, and Chad. Well, I don't really talk to Chad, he just kind of knows."

"I meant like a therapist."

"It's just a dream."

"It's not though, is it? The things behind the nightmares get in your way."

"Do you remember me mentioning a crisis at one of our affiliates?"

"Yeah, you said your intervention kept anyone from being laid off, and you were working on a longer-term solution."

"Finding a longer-term solution hasn't been going well, and my intervention – I've been selling off personal assets to sustain them."

"Wow, that's – how long can you keep doing that?"

He answered sharply, "I can't just let all those people lose their jobs!"

"I wasn't criticizing."

"You're the only one who isn't then."

"What do you mean?"

"Many of the partners I do business with, and members of my board, take it as a sign of weakness. It has them doubting whether I have the maturity, to make the tough decisions necessary to run a multi-billion dollar international business. Even Brian Bartley has been questioning my judgment lately, and he was my strongest supporter when I first took over as CEO."

"Well, I think it's admirable you would make sacrifices for the sake of your employees."

"Don't. It's no sacrifice, I've only been selling off properties I have no use for. When it comes down to it, this is the only place I would regret giving up, but I appreciate your support. It's hard to have so many of my colleagues diametrically opposed to what I'm doing."

"I'm sure the people whose jobs you are saving would agree to the rightness of it."

"Or they would feel that their jobs are insecure if their company is not self-sustaining."

It struck Lizi now, how young he really was to have so much responsibility, how many people depended on him, and how much good or evil could be done by him. She took his hand, stroking it gently, "You take so much on yourself. You try to take care of so many people. It's no wonder you have nightmares."

He squeezed her hand, "Thank you."

They sat quietly for some time. Darcy looked down at himself and then pulled at his t-shirt. It was soaked with sweat, "Oh, sorry. I'm gross." He took off the shirt. "I need a swim. Would it bother you if I went skinny-dipping?"

Lizi wasn't sure how to answer that, and said instead, "You're going to go swimming alone at night?"

"Unless you'll join me."

After a brief pause, he added, "I'm not hitting on you or anything. There's nothing sexual about skinny-dipping, especially when the water's cold."

She glanced around at the nearby houses. All of them were mostly dark. "Are you sure no one can see us from the houses?"

"Yes, there's no moonlight tonight."

"OK, but turn around."

He turned around and removed his pajama pants. Lizi undressed and followed him into the water, taking care to avert her eyes. The water was cold, but the air was chilly, so the difference wasn't that great.

Neither of them spoke until they were deep enough to stay covered by the water and Lizi asked, "Do you do this often?"

"Not really, but I like swimming without the resistance of a bathing suit. We all used to sneak out at night and skinny-dip, but when Karo and Lois got older it got …weird."

"I thought there was nothing sexual about it."

"There's not, but I'm not convinced _they_ know that."

Lizi had never been skinny-dipping before. She enjoyed the feel of the water against her skin, but when she looked back, she couldn't tell where the water ended, and the beach began, and she didn't like it. She forced herself to breathe, and tried not to think about it, but she couldn't repress a shiver.

"Cold?"

"Yes, a little."

"I'm ready to go back if you are."

"OK."

She stayed slightly behind Darcy, focusing on the top of his head until she could touch the bottom. When they got to their clothes, Darcy picked up the towel and handed it to her, without turning around. She dried off quickly, handed it back, and pulled on her clothes. Darcy wrapped the towel around his waist, and picked up his things.

As they walked back to the house, he said, "Lizi, I didn't even ask why you were awake so late. Is anything wrong?"

"No. I just couldn't sleep."

"Would you like some warm milk?"

"Seriously?"

He looked confused. "Yes. Why would I joke about warm milk?"

She laughed softly, "I guess you wouldn't. It's just, no one's offered it to me since I was a child and, to be honest, I didn't like it much then."

"I make it with vanilla and cinnamon."

She still wasn't convinced, but she was charmed by his offer to make it for her, so she agreed to give it a try.

Darcy threw his clothes in the laundry room, and exchanged his towel for a dry one before preparing the milk. When Lizi tasted it, she was pleasantly surprised. "This is actually good."

"My mother used to make it this way. It took me many tries to get the proportions right, and it's still not quite as good as hers was, but it's close."

 _Aw_. They sat on one of the couches, drinking their warm milk. They were sitting close to one another, almost close enough to be touching.

"Lizi, if I did want to talk to a therapist, how would I go about finding one?"

"I could give you some names to start with, and they could recommend others if it wasn't a good fit. The people I know recognize how important it is to find a therapist you're comfortable with. They often help people find the right person."

"You said the things behind my nightmares are getting in my way. I suppose you meant that I overreact to certain things and it makes me disagreeable, but I've been working on that."

"Working on not overreacting, or on hiding your feelings to appear agreeable?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it does, if nothing else it matters for your own well-being. But I was thinking more that you seem to blame yourself whenever you can't save someone, and you feel so much responsibility for others, and you're so protective of them. It's admirable, it's one of your best qualities – but I think it's also one of your faults, when taken too far."

"I see."

"And there's the whole one-and-done thing you have going on."

"What do you mean?"

"Um, this is going to sound judgmental, and I don't mean it that way, I really don't, but are you really happy with all these brief sexual encounters? Or do your ground rules just protect you from getting too close to anyone – either for fear of losing them or because you don't want the additional burden of another person to protect?"

He was quiet for so long that Lizi was sure she had offended him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have overstepped."

"No, it's just, I think you're giving me too much credit."

"That doesn't sound like me."

He smiled and continued. "When I was seventeen, my parents caught me with a girl, a woman. They freaked out, grounded me, gave me several lectures about how someone in my position in life needed to be careful – how there were women who would try to take advantage, who would purposely get pregnant or pretend to. I know that sounds bad. They were good people, my father especially, they tried to teach me good principles. I was probably spoiled, but they tried to instill in me a sense that our wealth brought with it great responsibility. They built Darcy Enterprises from a modest business to what it is today, and I think they'd encountered a fair number of people who tried to take advantage of them. It was the first time they'd ever been angry with me like that. It was the kind of angry that parents get when they're frightened. It made an impression on me."

"You know she might have just liked you."

"Who?"

"The woman that your parents caught you with. Maybe she was just attracted to you and didn't want anything besides sex."

"It's possible, but she approached me on the boardwalk, and she already knew who I was. We hadn't even known each other twenty minutes before things became physical, and then one thing led to another pretty quickly. When I told her I didn't have a condom, she said not to worry about it. I thought at first that she meant she would take care of it, but then she said the risk made it more exciting. It was at that point my parents caught us. Now that I think about it, they might've heard what she said."

"If they did, it would explain why they reacted so strongly."

"I'd like to think that if we hadn't been interrupted, I'd have come to my senses, but I can't be sure. I don't mean to say that this one encounter shaped my attitudes toward women entirely. I know this sounds arrogant but I've met a fair number of woman who've tried to entice me, and most of them don't seem interested in anything except for my money."

"It seems odd to me then, that so many agree to your ground rules."

For a moment he looked confused, then an expression of comprehension crossed his face. "Not long after I became CEO of Darcy Enterprises, Rick and I were in Chicago for a conference. The conference was over, but we had decided to stay an additional night. We went to the hotel bar, and we'd had a few drinks when he started bugging me about fixing me up with a friend of his. I suspected she'd gotten the wrong idea from his friendship, and now he wanted to smooth things over by introducing her to me, but that's neither here nor there. We'd been talking for some time without his managing to convince me, when he asked me if I didn't want to get laid any time in the near future. I made this whole speech about not wanting a relationship, and the ground rules I would need if I were going to have sex.

"There was a woman sitting at a table nearby who had obviously overheard us. She got up, and as she walked past our table, without saying a word, she placed a key-card with a room number on the table in front of me. We sat staring at it, and then Rick asked me if I was seriously considering it. We talked about it briefly, and he told me that if I really wanted sex without forming any attachments, he wouldn't try to introduce me to any of his friends ever again. He didn't mean it as an encouragement, but I ordered a bottle of one of my favorite wines to bring with me, picked up the key-card and walked away from him. Once I got in the elevator, it occurred to me that it would be stupid to trust a woman I'd never met. There was no legal way I could enforce my ground rules, and I didn't know enough about her character to just trust her word on it. I slid the key-card under her door, left the wine outside, and went to bed. But Rick assumed I'd gone through with it, and since then he's believed that I have sex a lot more often than I really do. I've never corrected that impression because it's kept him off my back. If your information about the number of partners I've had is from Rick, it's inaccurate."

"If you'd rather have your cousin think badly of you than meet a few women, I'm not sure any of what you've said invalidates my point. In any case, my information wasn't from Rick. Maybe I shouldn't have believed what I heard. I've questioned it before now, but while my sources were unreliable, I've heard the same thing from two unrelated sources, and what they described was very much in keeping with the offer you made me."

"Oh, I thought Rick must have warned you off."

"No, but I don't think your plan to keep Rick from trying to set you up is working. He tried to talk you up to me."

"I don't think that's normal for him. He noticed that you sometimes called me Mr. Darcy."

"And?"

"I don't usually let people call me Mr. Darcy. That was my father's name."

"I managed to work that out."

"What I mean is, when my father died I didn't want people calling me Mr. Darcy. In part because I was afraid of not living up to the name, but also, in the beginning, whenever I heard someone say 'Mr. Darcy' I half-expected to see my father. I know it's silly…"

"It's not."

"It was Brian Bartley who got people calling me Darcy. He advised me against encouraging people to call me Will. He said I was so young, it would be a mistake to start off overly familiar with my employees, and once I'd established my authority I could relax. I told him I couldn't bear 'Mr. Darcy' and he suggested Darcy as a compromise. It was more casual but still reminded people who I was, and it caught on. Even many of the people who had known me as Will started using it, which suited me. In many ways, I felt so different from the person I had been before my parents died."

"I'm sorry I kept calling you Mr. Darcy. I had no idea."

"It's OK. It didn't bother me when you did it. You say it in a tone of voice no one would've used with my father."

"I won't ask if that's good or bad."

He smiled in a way that gave her a chill, "Thank you for comforting me tonight."

"Anytime."

"Really?"

"Of course."

"Then would…"

"What?"

"Nothing, never mind."

"Tell me."

"I, that is, would you mind holding me a little bit more? I mean, only if you don't mind, I shouldn't…"

Lizi put her arms around him. "As long as you like. I don't mind."

"That's nice. Thank you."

After a short time he put his arms around her as well, "Is this OK?"

Lizi yawned, "Yes."

"Am I keeping you up?"

"No, it's fine."

They shifted position from time to time, until they were stretched out on the couch, with Lizi leaning against Darcy's chest. She warned herself not to make too much of this. He might only be looking for comfort. After everything that he had told her, and how vulnerable he had been with her, it wouldn't be surprising. She closed her eyes, trying to forget that he was an attractive man dressed only in a towel. Normally such an endeavor would be impossible but she had grown drowsy, and she was comfortable snuggled against him like this. The sound of his heartbeat and the gentle rhythm of his breathing gradually lulled her to sleep.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy could hardly believe this was really happening. "Don't make too much of it." He told himself. "Perhaps she is only being kind." But would she be _this_ kind if she felt as she once had?

Maybe he was still dreaming. His nightmare somehow miraculously transformed into his greatest wish. He had shown so much weakness in front of her, and instead of repulsing her it seemed to have brought them closer together. He had never imagined such a thing would be possible. He always felt he had to be strong for everyone. Sometimes it felt almost stifling. Even with Chad or Rick, he wouldn't have felt free to sob his heart out. He ought to be horrified by the way he had acted, but instead, it only made him love her more.

If only he hadn't behaved so badly last fall. How bitterly he had come to regret his actions! _What they described was very much in keeping with the offer you made me._ Who had she been talking to? Who did they both know that could have said it? He wracked his brain as Lizi's breathing became deep and even. Suddenly it came to him, and he almost cried out with the realization. He was an idiot!

"Lizi?" he asked softly.

No reply. She was asleep. He couldn't wake her up just to explain himself. He'd already kept her up, and she was working in the morning. He really should wake her up though, so she could go to bed. No, that was dumb, he should carry her up to her room and… no, that was even dumber. If he woke her or woke Jane, they might think he was up to something untoward. She would be more comfortable in her bed but would she feel it was worth being woken up for? On the other hand, would she feel he had taken advantage of her if he didn't wake her? She did say as long as he liked, all night was barely a fraction of what he would like, but even so.

He mulled these things over, his thoughts coming more slowly as he grew drowsy. It was so comforting to snuggle with her like this, so peaceful. He'd just close his eyes for a few minutes, and then… he'd ….he'd decide… decide what to do next. The sound of Lizi's breathing lulled him to sleep.

Neither of them roused until the following morning, when they were awakened by Karo's scream and the sound of breaking glass.

* * *

 _A/N: This is where my Darcy is different from the original. He's a bit younger and lost both parents suddenly and dramatically. So I think it makes sense he'd sometimes feel the burden of all his responsibilities as this one does and feel so responsible for people. (More on him when more has been revealed.)_

 _One of the hardest things about writing this story has been keeping myself from saying, "Just because Rick believes something doesn't mean it's true." So I'm glad I finally got to the back-story on that bit._

 _Thanks for reviewing following and favoriting and many thanks to_ _cactustactus for the edit!_

 _Up Next: Angry People are not Always Wise._


	26. Angry People are not Always Wise

_**CONTENT WARNING**_

 _ **This chapter includes a discussion of a sexual assault that happened off page, the perpetrator is portrayed as lacking in compassion or understanding of what s/he has done, and the victim has not fully accepted that this is what happened. This could be problematic for survivors of sexual violence.**_

* * *

Darcy and Lizi both sat up quickly. Darcy grabbed his towel, making sure it was secure. Karo, face white with anger, stood staring at them, a broken coffee pot at her feet.

"Don't move," said Darcy sharply.

Chad popped his head out of his room. "What happened?" Seeing Karo he sprang into action, "Nobody move. Karo, I'll get your shoes!"

Jane came down the steps, "Is everyone OK?"

"Don't come down here without shoes! Karo, are you hurt?"

"No."

"OK, no one is hurt." Chad went back into his room, emerging a moment later with his shoes on and carrying a pair of shoes for Darcy, before fetching some from Karo's room. Meanwhile, Jane—who had rushed back upstairs—returned with shoes for Lizi.

After Chad had scooped up the worst of the glass with a dustpan, Darcy vacuumed a wide area to be sure nothing was missed. Karo had disappeared into her room, and only reappeared just as the work was done. "Chad, give me your keys. I'm going out to get a new coffee pot."

Chad looked surprised by her sharp tone, but he handed over the keys as Darcy said, "You don't have to do that."

She glared at him before marching out of the house, slamming the door behind her.

"What's with her?" Chad asked. He didn't seem to expect an answer, and no one volunteered one.

He and Darcy went into their room to get dressed.

"Is that all you had on that whole time?"

Oh, right. Darcy had half-forgotten he was only wearing a towel. "I went for a swim."

"Without getting arrested?"

"I mean earlier, while it was still dark. Then I had some warm milk, and fell asleep on the couch." It was true. Why did he feel like he was lying? He hoped Lizi didn't mention going for a swim and falling asleep on the couch, or Chad might figure out they had been together. Then again, Karo had seen them, so Chad might be a moot point.

"Nightmare?"

"Yea."

"You don't usually sleep afterward. That's an improvement."

"That's true." Even when he did sleep afterward, he was usually restless. He'd slept more deeply in Lizi's arms than he had in a long time. If only he'd woken up before they'd been discovered, or it had been anyone besides Karo. He didn't care what Karo thought about what she'd seen—if anything she might finally catch a clue—but he didn't want her upsetting Lizi. He'd have to speak to Karo before she talked to anyone else.

He was on a phone call when she returned with Chad's car, and when he went to find her she'd made herself scarce. Ironic, that the one time he actually _wanted_ to talk to her, she wasn't around.

He didn't see Karo again until he found her talking to Lizi.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi drank several cups of coffee to get through her shift. When she got home, she plopped down into a lounge chair on the porch. If she could just close her eyes for twenty minutes before—

" _Did you have sex with him_?" Karo's voice was like nails on a chalkboard. So much for avoiding her for twenty minutes. She must have been lying in wait for Lizi to get home. Oh well, she knew she was going to have to face Karo sooner or later. She might as well get it over with.

"That's not really any of your business."

"I told you what he's like."

"Yes, you warned me. Whatever happens now, you'll have the satisfaction of knowing you did everything you could."

"You're completely wrong for him."

"If I am, you have nothing to worry about."

"I'm exactly what he needs, he just doesn't know it yet."

"Warning other women away from him isn't likely to make him think more highly of _you_."

Karo narrowed her eyes. "You haven't had sex with him yet. He's still being nice to you. Are you going to?"

"If he's as bad as you say, you ought to hope I do. It would be your surest way of getting rid of me." Why hadn't she thought of that before?

"You think you'll be different, just because you're making him work for it, making him wait. I'll admit, he's put more effort into you than anyone else. He's pretending to enjoy spending time with you and all that, but once he gets what he wants you'll be just like the rest of us. He'll treat you the same way he has me, ever since _I_ slept with him."

"What the hell, Karo?"

They both jumped. How much had Darcy heard? For a moment, Lizi felt a sort of affinity with Karo, then she remembered she hadn't done anything wrong.

" _What_?" Karo practically spat the words at him, "Now that I'm talking to _Lizi,_ suddenly you _care_ what I have to say? Are you in love with her?"

"Karo…"

"You are, aren't you? How could you choose _her_?"

With that, she stormed off, and Darcy stood looking back and forth between the direction she had taken and Lizi, like he didn't know what to do.

"You should talk to her," Lizi said. "I'll be here."

He still looked torn, but he nodded and followed Karo into the house.

Lizi closed her eyes again. She was too tired to think about whether Karo was telling the truth. Ten minutes later her phone beeped, startling her out of a light sleep. She told herself she would ignore it, but checked it almost automatically.

It was a text from Jane asking if she were home from work.

She wrote back, "Yes, what's up?"

A moment later, her phone rang.

"Hi Jane. What—? Slow down, I can't understand..."

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy found Karo upstairs, pacing the living room. "Is Gigi here?" he asked.

"No, I think she's at the beach."

"Good. What the fuck was that?"

She gestured toward the couch, where she had found him and Lizi sleeping this morning. "What the fuck was _that_?"

"Karo, I haven't told anyone what happened between you and me, because I didn't want to humiliate you. However, if you are going to tell lies about me, then I'll be forced to defend myself."

"What makes you think I'm telling lies about you?"

He was losing patience, "I just heard you tell Lizi that we slept together!"

"We did."

" _In what warped version of reality did we sleep together?"_

"OK, we spent some time in the same bed."

"First of all, you _know_ that what you said made it sound as if we had sex, which isn't true. Second, you climbed into bed with me while _I_ was _sleeping,_ and I pushed you away as soon as I realized what was going on!"

" _You_ were the one who snuggled up against _me_. I thought you were finally becoming attracted to me or I wouldn't have kissed you."

"What part of _my being_ _**asleep**_ was unclear? Men who have acted the way you did have been all over the news recently."

She rolled her eyes. "We could have been good together if you had just relaxed and let things happen."

"Do you really think that if you'd been successful in violating me, that would have been something we could have built a relationship on? That's seriously messed up!"

"Are you in love with _her_?"

He was startled by the change of topic and almost said "yes", but he hadn't told Lizi how he felt yet. "My feelings for Lizi have nothing to do with you."

"Of course they do! How could you choose _her_ over _me_?"

"It was never a choice between her and you. I didn't sit down and think about who I should develop feelings for. It just happened."

"She's all wrong for you. Your parents wouldn't have liked her."

She was taking things too far, "I disagree, but we'll never know one way or the other, will we?" His breath felt tight in his chest.

His voice had a dangerous quality that would have warned most people to tread carefully, but Karo forged ahead. "You've forgotten what it's like to have to please your parents."

He was so angry that he could barely breathe, let alone speak.

He closed his eyes and forced himself to take a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Lashing out right now would just be stooping to her level.

Something about the tone of voice she had used penetrated the haze, and he realized she hadn't said it to hurt him.

His anger left him so suddenly that he felt as if he'd deflated. She was being impossibly selfish, but he wasn't going to let this conversation end until they dealt with that, so he could afford a slight detour. He dropped into a chair, "Karo, I'm sure your parents are pleased with you."

"Are you _sure_? Are you, Will? How can you be? Does my father say how proud he is of all I've achieved, the way he does when he talks about _you_? Does he tell you what a great catch I would be, or take a call from me when he's in the middle of having dinner with you—in spite of his no phones at the table policy? Is that how you can be so _sure_?"

"Karo…"

"No really, I want to know how you can be so _sure_ if he never says anything, because I can give you dozens of examples of why I'm _sure_ he's proud of _you_."

Darcy getting sidetracked in spite of himself. He'd never realized Karo saw things this way. He tried to think of something complimentary Brian had said about her, but all he could come up with was the implication that she and Lois didn't behave like Lydia and Kat Bennet, and even that was more about his parenting style than about his daughters. "Maybe he thinks you already know how he feels. Have you ever talked to him about it?"

Her only response was to roll her eyes.

"Anyway, he's not as fond of me lately as you seem to think."

"Oh, _please._ When you disagree with him, he admires your convictions. When I do it, I'm too stupid to understand."

Darcy doubted that, but it wasn't worth arguing. "Is that why you want to be with me? You think it would please your father?"

"Of _course_ not! It _would_ please him, but that's not _why_!"

"Are you positive? What do you actually like about me?"

"What does anybody like about anybody? If you gave me a chance, we'd be good together. If you would just see me as a woman, instead of Chad's little sister."

"You being Chad's sister is the only reason I've been putting up with you." When he saw her expression, he almost felt bad, almost. "I'm not saying this to be cruel, but if another woman had tried something like what you did, I'd have had nothing more to do with her. It's only because of my connection to the rest of your family that I've tried to keep things civil between us."

"You call the way you've been treating me c _ivil_?"

"Under the circumstances I do, but if you don't like it, that's all the more reason you shouldn't want to be with me. Wouldn't you be happier with someone who likes you?"

"That's rich coming from you. You only want to be with Lizi because she's not falling all over you."

"I want to be with Lizi because I enjoy her company; because she challenges me and because she doesn't pretend to be something she's not just to try to impress me; because she's the sort of person who will go out of her way for people; because she doesn't mind looking silly; because I feel safe with her; because I can share things I enjoy with her; because she makes me laugh; because she brings out the best in me…" He could go on, but speaking of Lizi made him eager to end things here and get back to her.

"You could have all that with _me_."

"No, I couldn't. Even if you hadn't tried to manipulate me, I couldn't. It isn't a matter of doing the right things. With Lizi, it's not what she does, it's who she is. If you would stop trying with me, and find someone who you really care about, you would understand."

"You don't know how I feel."

"I know that when you feel true affection for someone, their feelings are important to you. If you had considered my feelings, you wouldn't have done what you did. If you had understood me at all, you would have realized how unwelcome your advances were. What you did was wrong—and if you can't see that, you need help. It wouldn't hurt you to sort out your issues with your father either. If you ever want to talk to someone, I'd be happy to pay for it, but I'm not comfortable with you staying here. I want you to move downstairs with Chad."

It looked like she was going to give him an argument, but then her shoulders slumped, and she said softly, "I'll go pack." She went into the room she'd been using, and Darcy felt as if a weight had lifted from him. Now he could finally get back to Lizi.

He started for the door, just as Lizi came flying in. She almost bumped into him, "Darcy, sorry. I forgot about you." She looked like she was trying not to cry. "I mean, I can't talk right now. I have to get some stuff for Jane." What was going on? She was heading for his room.

"Jane's stuff isn't up there anymore."

"What?"

"She and Chad moved their stuff downstairs today. Here, I have a key."

"Oh, right. I forgot." She turned, and they went downstairs together. Lizi stood in the entry to Chad's apartment and looked around, as if at a loss.

"I think they're in the master bedroom, over there."

"Thanks." She ran into the room, pulled open a number of drawers, and started flinging random stuff into a suitcase.

"Lizi, what's going on? Did Jane and Chad have a fight?"

"No, it's Lydia. No one knows where she is. Chad and Jane are coming to get me. We have to go home—my parents are freaking out." Her voice was getting higher and faster as she spoke. "Shit, I need to get my stuff, too—"

He put his hands on her shoulders, "Lizi, stop."

"I can't. We have to go as soon as they get here."

"Well if you're packing for Jane, you just gave her Chad's underwear."

"Oh."

"If you need to get home, we can get your things to you later. Tell me what's wrong."

She took a deep breath, "Kat and Lydia have been staying with a friend in Long Beach Island—or we thought they were staying with a friend and her family, but it turned out her parents only signed the lease. It was a bunch of teenagers that were staying there.

"Kat called Jane earlier, all upset because this was their last day, and she hasn't seen Lydia since yesterday. Jane and Chad drove out there, and... I don't know, tried to find her I guess. Kat admitted that Lydia has been spending a lot of time with…with…"

"With whom?"

She dropped her eyes, "John Wicks. No one has seen him since yesterday either, or at least no one they talked to, but Kat doesn't have reason to think they are together."

 _Shit!_ He didn't want to upset Lizi more, and forced himself to speak calmly, but he was almost sure John Wicks was mixed up in this. "Go on."

"Jane called my parents to track her phone, and they found out her phone was still in the house. She either ditched it or… I don't know, I can't imagine she forgot it. So now my parents are freaking out, and Jane and Chad should be here any minute, and then we have to go home. I don't know what good we can do, but we have to be there."

"Of course, but neither of you should be driving when you're this upset."

"Chad said he'd drive us home."

"Good." Then he could work on finding John Wicks.

"I should go wait for them outside. You really don't mind sending us our stuff?"

"It's the least I can do. I'll walk you out." As they walked down the steps, he tried to figure out where John would have gone. "Lizi, does Lydia have any money?"

"A small savings account. I don't think there's much in there. Why?"

"Here they are." Chad and Jane drove up and jumped out of the car.

Jane pulled out her phone, "There's more. Lydia's got an Instagram account that none of us knew about, except Kat. She finally told us about it on the way over here."

"The good news," said Chad, "is she's been posting selfies, so we know she's OK."

"The bad news…" Jane showed Lizi a picture.

Lizi looked at it, "She's definitely with John Wicks."

"Let me see." Darcy held out his hand for the phone.

"Darcy…" Chad's voice had a warning tone.

"I only want to see…" he was looking at her pictures as he spoke, and stopped when something caught his eye. "This was taken in Atlantic City."

"Are you sure?" Lizi asked.

"Yes."

Lizi turned to Jane. "We have to go there and look for her."

Jane said, "I still think we need to go home. We need to take Kat home, and Mom will need us. We can let the police know about her Instagram page."

"So you and Chad can take Kat home, and I'll go to Atlantic City."

"Where would you even start looking?"

"I don't know, but at least I'd be doing something."

"I'll take you," Darcy said to Lizi.

She looked startled, "What?"

"Chad can take Jane home, and I'll take you to Atlantic City."

"You don't have to do that."

"I can help you find him, and you shouldn't drive when you're tired and upset."

"Darcy…"

"Lizi, please. Driving when you're sleep-deprived and distracted, is my version of someone going backwards down the stairs."

"Sorry, I wasn't thinking."

"Will you let me drive you?"

"Yeah, OK."

"Just let me tell Gigi, and make a couple of calls, and then I'll be ready to go. I won't be long, I promise."

"OK. I'll wait for you."

"Do any of you know how Lydia is posting selfies, if she left her phone behind?"

No one did. Darcy made his calls quickly, but it took longer than he expected to talk to Gigi. He felt he needed to explain what was going on. "Are you OK?" he asked when he finished.

"Yea, I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"Rick and Brandon are coming down. They should be here in a few hours."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"I know, but you'd like to see them, wouldn't you? And I'd feel better, if you had someone around. Just in case all this brings up any issues for you."

She agreed she would like to see them, reassured him that she was fine, and added, "I hope you can find Lydia."

"Me too."

He was relieved to find Lizi waiting for him. He'd been half-afraid she would leave, if he took too long. "Sorry, It took me longer to talk to Gigi than I realized it would."

He opened the door for her, and she surprised him with a quick hug before jumping in.

As he pulled away from the house, she asked, "Is Gigi alright? I didn't even consider her history with John."

"I think so, and Rick is coming to be with her."

"Good."

They rode in silence for a long time. He wanted to tell her that they would find Lydia and everything would be fine, but he couldn't promise her what he didn't know.

"Lydia just turned seventeen."

It seemed like a non sequitur, but it didn't take him long to realize why she had said it. Seventeen was the age of consent in New Jersey. "If it's any consolation, I don't think he'd do anything physical to her."

"I don't understand what he would want with her."

Lizi's phone rang and saved him from replying. "Aunt Maddie?"

...

"No, Jane and Kat are on their way home. I'm heading to Atlantic City."

...

"They are?"

…

"No, I didn't know that."

She held the phone away from her mouth and said to Darcy, "Lydia withdrew cash—the maximum amount, yesterday and today—from an ATM in Atlantic City."

"Was it the same ATM both times?"

She repeated the question and gave him her aunt's reply, "Yes, but she won't be able to get any more." To her aunt, she said, "Give me the address anyway."

…

"That's no reason for me not to have a look as well."

…

"I'm not. I'm with a friend."

…

"We aren't doing anything dangerous."

…

"I'm not stopping the police from handling it any more than Dad and Uncle Ed are."

…

"Will Darcy, he runs a humongous company, you can google him—"

…

"Well, not giving me the address isn't going to stop me from trying, I have to do _something_."

…

"We will."

…

"Yes, I promise."

…

"Love you too."

She hung up. "She's texting me the address of the ATM. I know it won't be much good, but…" she shrugged. "My father and uncle are going to Atlantic City to look for her too."

"I have someone working on tracking her posts."

"You do? Who?"

"A P.I."

"You know a P.I.?"

Was it unusual to know a P.I.? From the way she was looking at him, he guessed it was. "Yes. I use him from time to time. It was one of the calls I made… _What?_ "

She was staring at him like she was trying to figure out what was on his face. "I didn't even think to ask why you're helping me. This must push a lot of buttons for you. Come to think of it, you must be sleep-deprived, too."

 _I can't let him hurt anyone else I love._ "I took a nap. Can we talk about my buttons when this is over?"

"It just occurred to me that I'm taking advantage of you."

 _What?_ "You've never taken advantage of anyone."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do. If you had, you would know the difference between 'taking advantage' and accepting a favor when it's offered."

She didn't look convinced. Speaking of being taken advantage of made him think of Karo. It had been less than an hour since he'd talked with her. He'd forgotten all about her until now. He wanted to explain things to Lizi, but it didn't seem like quite the right time to say, "By the way, I never hooked up with Karo."

For the sake of changing the topic, he said, "You know, if your aunt googles me, she's likely to get hundreds of references to _Pride and Prejudice_."

"Not if she adds 'Darcy Enterprises.'"

He repressed a smile, "That's how you found me on google, then?"

Her cheeks turned pink, and she gave him a sheepish smile, "Yeah, that's how."

If John Wicks hurt her sister, he would kill him.

* * *

 _A/N: I know I fell into the trap of making Karo worse than the original I think I've said before that these stories take on a life of their own as I write them. I know Darcy shouldn't be trying to_ help _Karo that issue will come up._

 _Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit, for the extra help clarifying some tricky bits, and for suggesting the format for when Lizi is on the phone. The suggestion was inspired by reading EmmaBee by WadeH_

 _Next Up: Lydia_


	27. Lydia

It was almost hard to believe, that the man who had sobbed in her arms the previous night was the same assertive, competent, man who was helping Lizi search Atlantic City for her sister. She used the term "helping" almost ironically. He seemed to know already, where to go and who to talk to. He held quick conversations, showing people pictures of Lydia and John, and always ended the conversation by handing people his business card and saying, "Call my cell if either of them shows up." Did he just carry a stack of business cards around with him, or had he had the foresight to bring them? They'd been at it a while, when Lizi realized he was giving people money. He did it so smoothly that at first she hadn't noticed. How was she going to pay him back, if she didn't know what he was spending?

At the beginning of the evening, Lizi had been adding bits of information here and there to help with the inquiries, but by now he had absorbed anything she could have added, and as the hours passed, she had trouble even attending to what was going on. The adrenaline that had carried her through the beginning of the evening had worn off, her limbs felt like lead, and more than once she had been startled by the weight of her head dropping as she nodded off.

They had walked into a hotel room without her even realizing they were in a hotel. "What are we doing here?"

"I need to charge my phone." He gestured to a tray with two covered plates, "We're going to eat, and then you should get some sleep."

"Did we check in here?"

He frowned, but his voice was tender. "You must be more tired than I realized. Yes, we checked in."

She felt like she was fighting her way through a thick mental fog, "How is the food already here?"

"I made a call."

"What is that, like, your superpower?"

He guided her to a chair, "Yes, now come eat something, or I'll be forced to use my powers against you."

She wanted to refuse, but the smell of the food was irresistible. OK, she would eat. Maybe the food would revive her—sleep wasn't an option right now.

She picked up a burger and bit into it. It was well-done, with cheddar, swiss cheese, and mushrooms. Did he know this was her favorite burger? She wanted to ask, but now that she was eating, she realized how hungry she was, and couldn't spare the time.

As they finished eating, he said, "Once my phone is charged, I want to check out some of those private parties that we heard about. I think that may be our best bet for finding Lydia. I thought she might have a fake ID to get into the casinos, but so far there's been no luck there."

Lizi nodded, as if she remembered hearing about private parties, "I'll come with you."

"Lizi…"

"I feel better now that I've eaten. I just need coffee, and I'll be good to go." Maybe it was foolish to insist. She wasn't exactly making much of a contribution, but it was her sister, going to sleep while Darcy continued to search for her just seemed _wrong_.

"Even if that were true, it's imprudent to exhaust yourself. When we find Lydia, she may need you. It's much more logical for you to get some rest, and be in shape to help her when she's found."

"You think we'll find her, then?"

She had resisted asking the question ever since they'd set out. She knew he didn't have the answer, but she wanted so much for him to tell her everything would be fine.

He took a moment before he answered, "I'll do everything I can."

 _Why?_ She thought again that she was wrong to let him do all this. Was he trying to save her sister from John Wicks, the way he couldn't save his own? But she had agreed to wait until it was over to talk about it. If only she weren't so tired, she might be able to make sense of it all.

She glanced around the room and noticed the coffee-maker, "Do you think I have time to make coffee before your phone charges?"

"I see what you did there."

She shrugged. "You argue that Lydia may need me when she's found, but if she's found sooner rather than later, it would be better for me to be on hand."

"How about this? Lie down and close your eyes, and if you aren't asleep by the time my phone is charged, you can come with me. If you are, I'll call you when I find something."

She hesitated, thinking it over. It would be good to close her eyes for a few minutes. She would just have to be sure not to fall asleep. "OK."

The bed was so soft she felt like she was sinking into a cloud, but she wouldn't sleep—not for more than three minutes. She'd open her eyes when she heard… when she heard…

.~.~.~.~.

It was well past midnight when Darcy's phone finally rang. He picked up quickly, "Sherman. You have something?"

"Nothing that would hold up in court, but since you said it was personal…"

"Yes, go on."

"Lydia made those posts from a burner phone. I've been able to trace it, and it's currently at the address I'm sending you now."

"You're a genius."

"I know. Need anything else?"

"Just let me know if the phone moves. Otherwise, I'll take it from here."

Darcy breathed a sigh of relief. His efforts in the time since he'd left Lizi at the hotel hadn't yielded any new information. You couldn't waltz into a private party and start asking questions as easily as you could in a casino, and the people he had spoken with were too inebriated to be of much use. He could have used Lizi's people skills, but she had been so tired it looked painful, and it was his fault she'd gotten so little sleep last night. He'd thought several times that he might do better to close his eyes for a few hours himself, and wait to see if any of the people he had spoken to would call—or start fresh in the morning if they didn't—but his promise to Lizi that he would do everything he could kept him going.

He stopped to get more cash and, after thinking it over, stopped by the hotel to drop off his wallet. He didn't want to wake Lizi, even if she was revived—the neighborhood he was going to wasn't a place he wanted to take her, if he could help it, and he'd rather not waste time arguing—but the hotel was on his way, and he'd rather not risk having his ID stolen. What was John Wicks doing in a neighborhood like that, let alone bringing Lydia there?

Lizi was fast asleep, and didn't even stir when he fixed her blanket. In retrospect, it was foolish to risk her waking up, but she looked cold with it pulled up around her neck. He didn't think till afterward that he could have adjusted the air-conditioning.

.~.~.~.~.

He pulled up in front of the address that Sherman had given him. There was a group of rough-looking men standing around on the other side of the street. When he got out one of them said, "Nice car." From the way the other two snickered, Darcy assumed he was the one to deal with.

 _Just a business negotiation like any other. The most important thing is not to show fear._ "If it's still a nice car when I come out, I'll give you a hundred dollars for watching it for me."

The man laughed, "The hubcaps alone are probably worth more than that." He hadn't made a counter-offer. That was bad.

"True, but I'd be saving you the cost of labor."

The man looked amused at this. "Well, I'd be taking on all the risk of protecting it from the scumbags you get around here." His friends seemed impressed by his "wit," but the man ignored them.

"So make me an offer. You strike me as the sort of man who can handle a few scumbags."

"One thousand, and you pay me up front."

"Three hundred, one up front."

"What's to stop me, from just taking your money right now?"

"Nothing but the ramifications you would face, if you did. I would hate to have to put my back-up plan into action."

"What back-up plan?"

"It's better if you never find out."

"If you think the police will help you…"

"Do I _look_ like it's my first day? Are we going to agree on a price, or am I wasting my time?"

They locked eyes and Darcy held his gaze until the man slowly smiled. "Eight hundred, five up front."

Now Darcy felt he was on solid ground. He made a counter-offer, and they quickly agreed on a price. They shook hands, Darcy paid him and walked away, hoping his car would still be there—with all its parts—when he returned. His "back-up plan" was: hope to get himself and Lydia out of there alive, and then buy a new car. He had told the truth: he would hate to have to implement that plan. Maybe he should have hired bodyguards, but that would take time, and run the risk of making him look like someone worth robbing.

Darcy walked up to the front door. The music was blaring so loudly, there was no point in knocking on the door. He tried the knob, and the door opened. This wasn't the sort of party where anyone would question what he was doing there. He made his way through the crowd, hoping not to get too much of a contact high before he found Lydia. He finally spotted her slumped against a wall.

"Lydia?"

There was no response.

He shook her by the shoulders, saying more loudly, "Lydia?!"

She opened her eyes, "John?"

"Lydia, it's Darcy. I'm a friend of Lizi's."

"Who Lizi?"

"Lizi, your sister. You need to come with me."

"No, no, no. I meet… meeting John here."

"He sent me to get you."

"Who?"

"John sent me to get you. You need to come with me."

"K." She moved as if she would get up, fell over sideways, and fell asleep.

"Lydia, you need to come with me!"

He helped her to her feet, and she puked all over him. _Great_. He half-led, half-carried her out. His car was still intact. The man he had spoken to was leaning against it. He straightened up as Darcy approached. "She OK?"

"I doubt it. I'm getting her help."

The man took the balance of his money, and quickly backed away. The upside to being covered in puke. He buckled Lydia into the back-seat, propping her up as best he could, before calling Lizi.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi dragged herself out of a deep sleep and answered her phone.

"Lizi, it's Darcy. Can you meet me out front in ten minutes?"

"Hmmm?"

"I have Lydia. We need to get her to the hospital. I think she has alcohol poisoning."

She quickly untangled herself from the blanket that had somehow been tucked around her, and jumped out of bed, trying to shake off the grogginess.

"What time is it?"

"Around three. Will you meet me out front?"

"Yeah."

"I left my wallet on the coffee table. Can you grab it?"

 _Huh?_ "Yeah, sure."

"And bring the waste-basket from the bathroom."

She couldn't have heard that right. "Bring _what_?"

"The waste-basket."

"I don't think you're allowed to just take those."

"If anyone questions it, tell them you're with me. If that doesn't work, there's cash in my wallet."

It was like she understood the words, but they didn't add up to anything that made sense. Why did Darcy want her to steal a waste-basket, and why would it help to say she was with him? "Do you own this hotel?"

"Yes."

"Oh… It's nice."

"Lizi, we need to move quickly!" His tone was sharp. Like someone who wasn't accustomed to accepting any nonsense.

"Right. Sorry."

She went into the bathroom, splashed cold water on her face, and grabbed the waste-basket. She still felt weird about taking it, but she tried to act as if it were totally normal, and no one questioned her. She knew this was a stupid thing to be so focused on, but her brain had latched onto it, and she couldn't stop worrying that she'd get in trouble for taking a cheap, plastic, waste-basket.

Darcy pulled up just after she got outside. When she opened the door, the smell made her gag, and she finally understood why he wanted her to bring the waste-basket. She got in the back with Lydia, and he said, "Make sure she doesn't choke, if she vomits again."

"I will. I'm sorry about all of this."

"It's not your fault. How is her breathing?"

Lydia looked so pale. A cold fear gripped Lizi's heart as she checked for breath. "She's breathing, but it's slow."

"We'll be there soon. I'm sorry about my tone on the phone. You sounded so groggy, I thought that if I pissed you off it would at least wake you up."

He was apologizing to her, when he had her pukey sister in his new car? "It did. Wake me up, I mean. Thank you." She wanted to ask him more questions, but she was so frightened for Lydia, she felt like she couldn't form coherent sentences. They drove to the hospital in silence.

The two of them pulled Lydia out, and someone came out with a wheelchair. When they got her into it, Darcy said, "Lizi, I need to park and clean up, and then I'll find you."

She nodded, and followed dumbly behind the person pushing Lydia.

.~.~.~.~.

Half an hour later, Lizi was pacing the small space beside Lydia's bed when Darcy walked in saying, "I'm sorry it took me so long." He was wearing scrubs, and carrying a large coffee.

Lizi was flooded with relief. She'd been afraid he wouldn't find her, or that he would come to his senses and realize he didn't want to be caught up in all this. She'd get a text from him with a reason he'd had to leave, and she wouldn't blame him. He'd done so much already. "They're giving her IV fluids and oxygen treatment. They said it's good we got her here when we did. Darcy, if you hadn't… hadn't found…" She choked up, and couldn't continue. By now he had put down the coffee, and she flung herself into his arms. He held her tight as she wept against his chest. She felt weak, as if she couldn't support herself much longer, but she didn't want to let go of Darcy. As if he'd read her mind, he sat down, pulling her into his lap.

After a few minutes, she sat up, wiping her eyes. "Sorry, I'm getting you all wet."

"No worries, I've had worse."

"I know, but you just got into something clean." She didn't ask where he'd gotten scrubs. He just made stuff happen. It was his superpower.

He picked up the coffee and handed it to her, "This is for you." She took a sip—it was horrible coffee, but she was grateful to have it.

"You didn't get any for yourself?"

"I don't think we're supposed to have it in here. I thought two was pushing it." For some reason, this struck her funny. There were limits to his superpowers after all. He had to sneak her a coffee, he couldn't just make a call and have it appear.

"What's funny?"

"Nothing, it's stupid. I'm just tired. Here." She handed him the coffee. He took a sip and passed it back to her, and they shared it back and forth.

The doctor came in and said to Darcy, "Are you the one who found her?"

"Yes, but I'm afraid I don't know what she was drinking."

The doctor nodded and asked him some additional questions, but Darcy wasn't able to provide much more information than Lizi had. The Doctor didn't seem bothered about the coffee. He said to Lizi, "Any luck reaching your father?"

"No, he's still not answering."

"OK, let us know when you get hold of him." He left the room.

"What about your uncle?" Darcy asked.

"What?"

"Didn't you say your uncle is with your father? Maybe he'll answer."

She slapped herself on the head— _Duh!_ _—_ pulled up her uncle's number, and called him.

Her uncle picked up, "Lizi…"

"We have Lydia. We're in the hospital. She's being treated for alcohol poisoning. Is Dad still with you?"

There was a brief pause, and then her uncle said, "He's with me. Which hospital?" She suddenly realized she had no idea, and glanced around the room looking for something that would tell her where she was.

Darcy held out his hand for her phone, and gave her uncle the name of the hospital, adding, "Don't try to use your GPS. Where are you now?… OK, from there if you make a right on South Carolina, and a left onto Pacific…" He finished giving her uncle directions and hung up. "They'll be here in about fifteen minutes."

"Thanks, I don't know why I didn't think of calling him. I feel like my brain keeps freezing up."

"It's the stress, I'm sure. I'm glad your uncle answered." She thought she detected a note of disapproval in his voice, but she couldn't blame him. She knew her father didn't like to talk on the phone—he must have thought Lizi was just calling to see if he'd learned anything—but his daughter was missing he should have answered, just in case.

"I guess if my Dad is coming, I better get off your lap." Come to think of it, she probably should have gotten off his lap when she stopped crying, or at least when the Doctor came in. She was so frightened for Lydia and so _tired_ , on his lap she felt like his strength was supporting her. It was strange how natural it felt to be so close to him, as if they'd always had the sort of friendship where they would comfort each other like this.

"It would probably save some awkward questions if you did, but I have no objection to you remaining where you are."

She rested her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes. "Thirteen more minutes then?"

"Thirteen more minutes."

* * *

 _A/N: Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit._

 _Up next: Breakfast With Wanks (This Chapter will be delayed a bit because of schedule issues.)_

 _Nathalie: I think it was more obvious to him that his sister needed help because she so clearly couldn't cope with everyday life. She stopped going to classes and meals and barely got out of bed. I think until he talked to Lizi he had compartmentalized the nightmares and didn't realize how much the loss was affecting him._


	28. Breakfast with Wanks

_A/N: It turned out this chapter wasn't delayed after all._

* * *

Darcy hated to let go of Lizi but her father and uncle would be there soon, and it was just as well they stood up when they did, or his legs might have fallen asleep. The small plastic chair wasn't all that comfortable. He shifted to relieve the pins and needles.

Not long after they stood up the two men entered. Lizi said, "Dad" and moved toward her father as if she would hug him but he brushed past her, and her uncle embraced her instead.

Mr. Bennet addressed himself to Darcy, "How is she?"

Darcy was annoyed that he had rebuffed Lizi, but he answered him calmly, repeating what Lizi had told him.

"When will we know more?"

"They didn't say."

"What do you mean they didn't say?" he asked angrily.

Lizi pulled away from her uncle and placed a hand on her father's arm. "Dad, Darcy isn't a Doctor, he's my friend. He found Lydia. The doctor will be in to talk to you as soon as he can."

Her uncle held out his hand to Darcy. "Ed Gardiner. I think we spoke on the phone."

Darcy shook his hand. "Will Darcy. Yes, we did."

Mr. Bennet glared at him as if he had tricked him on purpose. Darcy had forgotten he was wearing scrubs. If Mr. Bennet had answered his damn phone, he would have been here that much sooner, and he might have talked to the Doctor already. For Lizi's sake, he tried make allowances for the stress Mr. Bennet was under, but he couldn't help wondering what could possibly keep a man from answering the phone when his daughter was missing, and he hadn't offered Lizi any explanation or comfort.

The doctor came in about twenty minutes later and spoke to Mr. Bennet. Lydia's blood work had come back and there was no evidence of any substances besides the alcohol. They would run some cognitive tests when she woke up but there was every reason to expect her to be fine.

Time passed, no one spoke, as they all waited for Lydia to wake up. Darcy wondered if he was intruding but he didn't want to leave until he knew whether Lydia would be alright. Even though the Doctor's words had been encouraging none of them could help fearing the worst and it was taking her a long time to wake up.

A phone beeped. They all checked their phones before realizing it had come from the bag of Lydia's things. Lizi picked up the bag and fished through it until she found a phone.

Darcy said, "That must be the burner phone she was using."

Lizi checked it. "It's a text from John Wicks. He's saying he couldn't find her at the party, asking where she got to."

"Is that the guy she ran off with?" asked Mr. Gardiner, "Can we use it to find him?"

"Give me that." Mr. Bennet reached for the phone, but Lizi hesitated.

"If he knows he's in trouble he might disappear."

"He must not know she's out of money," said Darcy. "If he thinks there's a chance of her giving him more maybe he could be convinced to meet her somewhere, and we can let the police know where he'll be."

Mr. Bennet glared at him again, but Mr. Gardiner nodded, "Lizi do you think you could text him back and sound like Lydia?"

Lizi took a deep breath I'll try. Darcy put a supportive hand on her shoulder and could feel how tense she was. She spoke as she typed, "Totes long story. (Party emoji) Tell you over breakfast? My treat. qpxd!"

"What's qpxd?"

"Nothing, but Lydia is always using weird abbreviations no one else knows."

They all stared at the phone. Lizi started to say, "It didn't work. I must not have—" The phone beeped, and she read, "Thought you were broke?"

"I'm just sending a money emoji, a happy emoji, and a dancing emoji."

This time the reply was quicker, "He says, 'what does that even mean?'"

She sent back, "Duh!"

When she got his reply her shoulders slumped, "He's asking her to send a selfie. He must suspect something."

"Don't overthink it." Darcy said softly as if John might hear him, "If he thinks there's any chance of more money he'll probably take the bait."

"OK, I'm sending an eye-roll and 'are we having breakfast or not?'"

When she got the reply, she breathed a sigh of relief. "He says 9:30 and he names a place."

She had done it! Darcy's heart swelled with love and pride. He would have hugged her, but with her father and uncle there he settled for giving her shoulder a supportive squeeze.

"Well done Lizi!" Her uncle pulled out his phone, "I'll call Officer Graff and let him know they can send someone over there." He glanced at Darcy, "Unless you have a better contact?"

"No, we haven't spoken at all with the police." Mr. Bennet rolled his eyes at that, but Darcy ignored him and continued, "But I want to go over there and make sure he doesn't slip away before the police get there."

"I'll come with you," said Mr. Gardiner.

Darcy hesitated he didn't like the idea of leaving Lizi without her uncle's support, but it would be officious to insist on going alone. It wasn't his family. Besides, it might be a good idea to have someone level-headed with him, and Mr. Gardiner had impressed him. "OK, can we take your car? I had Lydia in mine, and it's …unpleasant."

As they left the hospital, Mr. Gardiner said, "I'll pay to have your car cleaned."

"That's not necessary."

"I disagree. It was my niece."

"I have a long history with John Wicks. Perhaps if I'd done something about him sooner, he wouldn't have been in a position to cause trouble for your family."

"What could you have done? Besides it, doesn't look as if Lydia was coerced into going with him and it was her choice to drink as much as she did."

"He can be very persuasive."

"Even so."

"To be honest, I'd rather take care of it myself for my own reasons."

"Very well, but then you must allow me to buy you a drink some time, and you can tell me the whole story of how you and Lizi found Lydia." His respect for Mr. Gardiner increased. He must be curious, anyone would be, but he was sensible enough not to ask for an explanation in the middle of everything.

"Mr. Gardiner, you have a deal."

"Call me Ed."

When they arrived at the dinner, John Wicks was already there sitting in a booth, drinking coffee and looking over the menu. Moving as smoothly as if they had planned it, Darcy took the seat across from John, and Ed sat down next to him so that he was trapped in the booth.

If John was surprised to see him, he hid it well, "Darcy. You hate A.C."

"Lydia's not coming. She's in the hospital."

"What happened? Is she OK?"

"It's a little late to be asking that now," said Ed.

"Look! I don't know what you two are talking about. Last time I saw her, she was fine. We were supposed to meet back up at a party, and she wasn't there."

Darcy knew he had to be careful of his temper. There should be a police officer here any minute he just had to keep him talking. "That was where I found her. She has alcohol poisoning."

John's eyes widened, "What were _you_ doing at a party like that?"

"Looking for you and Lydia."

"What are you stalking me now? You really have to get over this weird obsession you have with me."

"She disappeared her family was worried."

Ed added, "Legally she's either a runaway or a kidnapping victim."

John put on an innocent expression that often fooled people but wasn't going to work today. "She told me she was eighteen."

The memory of the evening on the boardwalk last summer came into Darcy's mind as clearly as if it had just happened. "You're lying. I was there when you first met her last summer, and she said _then_ that she was almost sixteen."

"Who remembers conversations from over a year ago? Maybe it's her sister Kat that's eighteen. I can never keep track of which is which."

"You knew she wasn't twenty-one." Said Ed. "If you are going to give alcohol to a minor you should at least stick around to make sure she is OK."

"I didn't give it to her." He studied Ed, probably trying to figure out if he was someone important. "Who's your side-kick Darcy?"

They answered almost simultaneously,

"I'm Mr. Gardiner."

"He's not my side-kick. He's Lizi's uncle."

John smiled as if he had gained an important point. "Lizi's uncle? Not Lydia's? Interesting."

"Obviously he's Lydia's uncle as well."

"But it's Lizi you named, so she is the one on your mind. Actually, that explains a few things. I guess she was more impressed by you—or rather your money than she let on. I'm bit surprised at your wanting my sloppy seconds though."

Darcy clenched his fists, but Ed answered, "Watch how you speak of my niece!"

"He's just trying to get a rise out of me." Darcy said to Ed, "There's no truth in what he says."

John gave him a cold smile, "You can't be _sure_ though can you? Maybe she lied and _I'm_ the one telling the truth. Maybe she's only pretending to like you, and she'll come back to _me_ once she has your money."

Both Darcy and Ed's phones went off. Darcy was still trying to force himself to remain calm, but Ed picked his up and read the message. To Darcy, he said, "Lydia is awake. It looks like she'll be discharged in a few hours. Lizi sent you the same message." Then to John, "It looks like your lucky day you won't be charged with—"

He was interrupted by a police officer saying, "John Wicks you are charged with serving alcohol to a minor and with aiding and abetting a runaway. You have a right to remain silent…"

As he was led away, he shouted to Darcy over his shoulder. "My mom will just bail me out you know. _She's_ the one who will be hurt by this."

It was probably true, but there was nothing Darcy could do about that. He and Ed drove back to the hospital in silence. He thought Ed might have questions about his involvement with Lizi and John Wicks, but if he did, he kept them to himself.

With Lydia out of danger, Ed volunteered to stay with her and Mr. Bennet while Darcy and Lizi went down to the cafeteria. Lizi looked pale and drawn. She looked around the cafeteria in confusion, "Darcy I know this sounds stupid, but I don't think I can handle choosing what to eat."

He squeezed her hand. "If you want to go sit down I'd be happy to find you something."

"Thank you."

When he arrived with the food, she looked like she'd been nodding off. His own exhaustion was finally catching up with him. He was tempted to put his head down on the table and shut his eyes.

She said, "Thanks. We'll pay you back."

"It's just breakfast."

"No, I mean for everything. The hotel, the bribes, whatever you spent to find Lydia."

"You don't need to do that."

"I want to. I don't like to be in debt."

 _Debt_? What was she talking about? Did she think he had done this so she would owe him? Surely they were beyond such misunderstandings, or were they? "Lizi you don't owe me anything. I don't expect anything from you. I just wanted to help. Besides it wasn't that much."

"If it wasn't that much then it's not a big deal to repay you."

"I meant it wasn't much for _me_." Shit that didn't sound right. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, "Lizi can we please talk about this another time?"

"Why shouldn't we talk about it now? Do you think I'll forget about it or I'll be easier to convince later?" Her voice had a whinny tone he'd never heard her use before.

"No. It's just that I'm so tired I hardly know what I'm saying."

"Oh." She dropped her eyes. "Sorry."

"It's OK."

They were silent until they were almost finished eating, and he said, "Lizi, I'll stay around longer if you need me to but if you don't I have an important meeting to prepare for and I'd like to get some rest first."

"Oh. No. Of course. I'm sorry to have kept you."

"You didn't keep me. I wanted to stay." Why did it suddenly feel like everything was going wrong now that the situation was resolved?

"I appreciate that. Really. I'll have to go home for a while. I don't know how long."

"Of course. Do you want me to tell Lucas? I have to call him about something anyway."

"I almost forgot about that. Yes thanks, I know he won't be able to hold our jobs."

"He can hold them until you know more, at least."

"I don't want special treatment."

"It's what I would expect him to do for anyone. If another waitress had a family crisis you would cover for her and others will want to do the same for you." He tried not to sound annoyed, but he wasn't completely successful.

She looked like she might argue but when she spoke it was on a different topic, "I've been thinking of what you said last fall about my family dragging me down. Maybe there was some truth in it, and now you've been dragged into it too."

Would they ever be able to get past the stupid things he had said last fall? "I shouldn't have said that. Family is family. There's nothing I wouldn't do for Gigi or…" _you_ , "Chad. I didn't get dragged into this. It was a choice."

"Thank you."

 _Stop thanking me!_ "Anything you or Jane want sent to you just let Gigi or me know, and we'll get it to you and if there's anything I can do for you, anything at all, please don't hesitate to call me."

"OK, thanks." She said it the way people do when they have no intention of calling. He wanted to say more but couldn't think of anything to say.

They exchanged a brief hug before he walked away and she thanked him again for all he had done. He didn't want her to thank him. He just wanted her to be OK. He just wanted to love her.

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi watched Darcy walk away wishing she could run after him and ask him to stay with her. But he had done so much for her already. Why had she argued with him? She did need to pay him back, but she should have waited for a better time to bring it up. He'd been up all night saving her sister. She wished she could have found the words to truly express how grateful she was.

It was ironic. Not so long ago she would have been happy never to see Darcy again. Now as she watched him walk away, she missed him already.

* * *

 _A/N: Sorry I know some of you were hoping they would get caught with Lizi on Darcy's lap._

 _Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the quick edit._

 _Next Up: Frustrations._


	29. Frustrations

Darcy took care of one more thing, before leaving the hospital and taking an Uber back to the hotel. He gave the concierge a large amount of money to have his car attended to—he felt guilty asking someone to do it, but he couldn't deal with the smell of his car again. He went back to the room and collapsed on the bed. Lizi hadn't changed the "Do not Disturb" sign he had left out, and the bed hadn't been made. The pillow smelled like Lizi's shampoo. Why had he been so annoyed that she wanted to pay him back? Wasn't that one of the things he liked about her, that she didn't want him for his money? He drifted off to sleep, wishing he could be sure she wanted him at all.

Darcy slept most of the day. It was late when he got home, Gigi and Brandon had gone to bed, but Rick was waiting up for him. "So, Gigi says you found Lydia."

Darcy poured himself a drink and took a seat. "Yes."

"And Wanks?"

"He was arrested, but I don _'_ t know if anything will come of it. It all depends on whether Lydia will back up his story."

"Well, you've done everything you could."

Darcy sighed and took a long sip of his drink, "I know. I just wish I could stop him from hurting anyone else."

"Has anybody ever told you that you have a bit of a _'_ saving people _'_ thing?"

"This wasn't just some random person. If anything had happened to Lydia, it would have caused Lizi pain."

"So, what's going on there?"

Darcy was too tired to prevaricate. "I apologized for propositioning her, she apologized for believing John Wicks, and now we _'_ re friends."

"Friends?"

"Yes, I think highly of her and value her company."

"Gigi seems fond of her. I haven _'_ t seen her in such good spirits for a long time."

"Yes, Lizi _'_ s been good for her. She _'_ s an easy person to open up to, and Gigi has come out of her shell around her." He thought of the silly song she had played on the piano and smiled at the memory.

"Darcy, I know your parents cautioned you to be careful of gold-diggers and the like, but they would have wanted you to be happy. I don't think they meant that you should never fall in love."

"You're probably right."

"I just mean… wait, what? Are you running a fever or something? Our whole lives I don't think you've ever said those words."

Darcy drained his drink and headed for the stairs, "Even a broken clock…" He was tempted to tell Rick everything that had happened between himself and Lizi, and get his opinion—but on second thought he realized there was no point. If Rick said something encouraging, he'd be afraid to believe him; and if he said something discouraging, it might snuff the tiny spark of hope Darcy had been feeling ever since he _'_ d heard Lizi talking to Karo. He wanted to hold onto that feeling for as long as he could.

.~.~.~.~.

A few days after they returned home, Lydia entered the living room and plopped down on the couch, "I _'_ m _sooo_ _bored_! I can't believe I'm _still_ grounded!"

Lizi was losing her patience. " _Seriously_? After what you pulled? I can't believe _all_ they did was ground you, and it _'_ s only been a few days."

Lydia looked around as if she were startled, and then relaxed, "For a minute, I thought Aunt Maddie was still here. Jeez, Lizi, you sound just like her."

"Aunt Maddie's just concerned that you don't seem to be taking what you did seriously."

Lydia rolled her eyes, "Oh, come on, _everybody_ drinks when they're underage. Well, maybe not Jane or Mary…"

"You _disappeared,_ Lydia. No one knew where you were! If Darcy hadn _'_ t found you, you could have died!"

"Since when are you friends with Darcy anyways? I thought you didn't like him because he insulted your hair. Now all the sudden he's your big hero."

"Oh, for heaven's sake it was never about the hair! It was…" She was letting Lydia get her off topic. She took a deep breath and forced herself to answer calmly. "It doesn't even matter. I've gotten to know him better since then, and yes, what he did for you, for us, _was_ heroic. He probably saved your life."

"I would have slept it off, or Wicks would have found me. It sucks that Darcy got him arrested. _So_ not cool!"

"How can you stand up for him? He took all of your money and left you at a party!"

"We were having a good time. We both threw in whatever money we had. I didn _'_ t keep track of how much we spent of mine and how much was his. He was going to win us some more at a poker game. He knew I _'_ d be bored, so he left me at a party. I was having _fun_!"

"None of that makes it better."

"You're as bad as Jane and Aunt Maddie."

It had been like this for days. When they first got home, their father had read Lydia and Kat the riot act and grounded them both, but since then he _'_ d disappeared into his study whenever he was home. Aunt Maddie, Jane, and Lizi had all tried to talk to Lydia, but she refused to recognize the severity of the situation. Their mother and Kat didn _'_ t help matters. Their mother was chiefly occupied with blaming the Fowlers for renting the house, describing her feeling of terror when Lydia was missing (and the ill effects it had on her health), and sympathizing with her two youngest daughters. Kat was torn between resenting that she had been punished along with Lydia, begrudging Lydia for going off on an "adventure" without her, and being engrossed by Lydia _'_ s stories of how much fun she'd had in A.C.

At times Lizi almost felt like trying to talk to Lydia was more exhausting than it had been to search for her or to worry over her in the hospital. She tried a different approach, "Lydia, we are only saying these things because we love you. We only want you to be safe."

"None of you want me to have any fun. You nag and nag and call it love. I didn _'_ t ask for your help. You and Darcy should have just left me alone."

It was Lydia _'_ s tone combined with her words that pushed Lizi over the edge. "I can't believe how selfish you are being! I _HAVE_ to love you, Lydia. If I didn _'_ t, I wouldn _'_ t be able to _stand_ you!" She stormed up to her room, slammed the door and threw herself down on her bed.

A few minutes later there was a soft knock on the door, " _What_!?"

"Lizi? Can I come in?" Lizi blushed at the sound of Chad _'_ s voice. He hadn _'_ t just brought Jane home. He _'_ d stayed to support her. It was sweet, but Lizi hated for him to see them all at their worst, even if he was about to be family.

"Come on in."

He came in and sat down on Jane's bed. "Are you OK?"

"Yea. I guess you heard that. I don't usually scream like that."

"Everyone _'_ s on edge right now. Don _'_ t worry about it on my account. My best friend is Will Darcy. I _'_ m not put off by the occasional outburst."

She smiled, "Thanks for checking on me, but I'm fine. You don't have to do that thing you do for Darcy."

"Actually, I came up here to tell you your father wants to talk to you."

"Oh, OK. Thanks."

"It's not about what you said to Lydia. He asked me to look for you before that happened."

"Good to know. Thanks."

When she entered her father _'_ s study, he handed her an invoice, "What do you know about this?"

She studied it for a moment and then said, "It looks like the invoice for Lydia's hospital visit."

"Obviously."

She studied it a bit longer. "I don't know what it is you want me to see."

"Look." He took the invoice back from her and pointed, "This is the part the insurance paid." He pointed again, "This is the balance we are responsible for."

"It says it's been paid."

"Exactly."

"I don't follow."

"I didn _'_ t pay it, and your uncle tells me he didn _'_ t pay it. So who did?"

The realization slowly dawned on her. It had to have been Darcy. There was no other explanation.

As if he'd read her mind, her father asked, "Did your boyfriend pay it?" He managed to make "boyfriend" sound like a bad word.

"He's not my boyfriend. We're friends."

Her father frowned, looking worried. "How do you know this guy?"

"We met him last summer. He's Chad's best friend and Rick's cousin."

"Darcy… isn't he that boss you had? The one you didn't like?"

"It's true that I didn't like him at first. I thought he was overly dismissive, that he treated me like I was invisible. But that was only my first impression of him. And then John Wicks told me some things about him that were untrue. That was when my dislike of him became more personal, before that it was just an indifferent kind of dislike."

"You _'_ re usually a good judge of people, Lizi, are you sure your first impression of him didn't have more merit than you think?"

"I'm sure. I may be a good judge of people, but I was wrong to believe John Wicks, and most of my dislike of Darcy was based on what he said. I _'_ ve gotten to know Darcy a lot better since then. He's a good person and Chad has known him all his life."

"Even so, for a _friend_ he went out of his way to help you find Lydia and get Wicks arrested, and then to pay this bill on top of all that. I can _'_ t help suspecting he _'_ s looking for more from you."

She understood that what happened with Lydia was making him more protective, but he couldn _'_ t have picked a more inconvenient time to be asking these questions. She wasn _'_ t sure how to define her relationship with Darcy. They had been so close over the last few days. The word "friend" felt inadequate, but "boyfriend" wasn _'_ t right either. It was suddenly very important to her that her father like Darcy, or at least not dislike him, and she felt she was doing a terrible job of explaining his good qualities.

"He's not like that. He's honest about what he wants. He's just generous. Besides he has his own issues with John Wicks."

"Why do you say that?"

She hesitated, afraid of making things worse, but not to continue would seem suspicious. "There was another reason I didn't like Darcy. Last summer, John showed up at a party Chad and Darcy were throwing, and Darcy threw a punch at him. Well, more than one punch. I thought it was only because John crashed the party, but I learned later he had a significant reason to be as angry at John as he was.

"Not that I'm condoning or excusing the use of violence," she added hastily, "I'm only saying that now that I know what pushed him to that point, I understand."

"So you're saying he didn't hunt Wicks down for your sake, but out of some kind of personal vendetta?" He seemed oddly pleased by the idea. She was surprised he didn't seem bothered by Darcy's use of violence. He had always impressed on her to be wary of men who didn't control their tempers. Maybe it was different hearing about it now—knowing what kind of man John Wicks was—than it had felt to Lizi at the time.

"No, I just meant…" What did she mean? Was her father onto something? Was she being foolish to imagine Darcy had done all this for her?

"If paying Lydia _'_ s bill helps Darcy to feel he _'_ s gained a victory over Wicks, I would hate to take that away from him."

" _Dad,_ we have to pay him back!"

"Has this whole thing with Lydia upset you so much that you can't tell anymore when I'm joking? You know as well as I do 'The only way to cope with something deadly serious— _'_ "

" _'_ Is to try to treat it a little lightly.' I know." They had quoted this line often since she had first read _A Wrinkle in Time_ at nine years old.

"I know we have to pay him back, Lizi. Or, more accurately, Lydia must be made to pay the money. Though forcing her to do it will be more of a punishment to me than it is to her. Not that I don't deserve it for my negligence."

"You _'_ re too hard on yourself."

"Don't trouble yourself on my account. I'm sure the feeling will pass. More quickly than it should, no doubt. I haven _'_ t forgotten that you warned me against letting your sisters go off in the first place, but don _'_ t worry. I _'_ m a big enough person not to resent you for being right."

She gave him a small smile.

"Lizi, the three of you should go back to the shore. It isn't your job to take care of Lydia. Leave her to me."

"I don't feel right leaving while everything is such a mess."

"It's not your mess to clean up. If you really want to help, you can talk to your friend Darcy about his terms for repayment."

 _Should_ she go back? It wasn't as if she was doing any good at home. She couldn't force Lydia to listen to reason or to feel any remorse for what she had done. Fighting with her wasn't doing anyone any good. Plus, there was her job. She couldn _'_ t expect people to cover for her indefinitely, and she didn _'_ t like losing out on the money she would have made. She and Jane talked it over later and decided their father was probably right. They agreed to give it one more day, and if nothing had changed, they would return to the shore.

Lizi had never really unpacked. Chad and Jane had gone back to get some things and collect the car, but Lizi hadn _'_ t gone with them. Since Lizi _'_ s stuff was still packed from when she moved out of Darcy _'_ s room, it was just easier for them to grab all her bags than for her to give them a list of what she needed. Since they _'_ d been home, she _'_ d only pulled out the things she needed as she needed them. Almost as if she was keeping them at the ready. As she repacked the few things she had out, she contemplated what returning to the shore—returning to Darcy—might mean. Would the closeness they had shared continue, now that neither of them was in crisis? Or would things be awkward between them? Would they have to sort out who they were to each other now? Or would Darcy have reevaluated things in the time they had been apart? Even though he had said in the hospital that he shouldn _'_ t have said what he did about her family, she continued to think of it. The last thing Darcy needed in his life was more drama.

When they arrived at the shore house, Lizi almost followed Jane and Chad into his unit, but Gigi came bouncing down the stairs to hug her, then picked up one of Lizi _'_ s bags and headed upstairs with it. Obviously, she assumed Lizi would still be staying with them as originally planned. She hoped Darcy was still OK with that.

As they headed up the steps, Gigi said, "Rick and Brandon are in the bunk room, and they _'_ ll be here for a few more days, so we _'_ ll have to put you in the room Karo had. Is that OK?"

"Karo's not using it anymore?"

"No, she moved downstairs."

That was interesting. She had almost forgotten about her encounter with Karo. Now she wondered what had passed between Karo and Darcy to make her move downstairs.

Gigi continued, "Darcy's not here. He flew to Detroit yesterday for a bunch of meetings. I'm not sure how soon he'll be back."

Lizi was torn between disappointment that she had missed him, and relief that she didn't have to face him just yet.

They reached her room, and Gigi put her bag on the bed and turned to her with a serious expression. "I hope you don _'_ t mind my asking, but is your sister OK?"

She looked so worried Lizi wanted to hug her again. "Of course I don _'_ t mind. She _'_ s…" What should she say? "Physically, she _'_ s fine. She isn _'_ t treating the situation seriously, which is frustrating. I hope she _'_ ll be OK, but there _'_ s not much I can do."

"Maybe that's good." Gigi said softly, "Not to take it too seriously."

Lizi didn _'_ t know how to answer. She knew Gigi must be thinking of her reaction to her own experience with John Wicks. She wouldn't want her sister to have a breakdown like Gigi had, but there must be some happy medium.

Before she could think of a reply, Gigi said, "Anyway, I _'_ m glad you _'_ re back," and they moved onto other subjects.

Over the next few days, Lizi settled back into life at the shore. Karo was making herself scarce, and when they did see each other, she was stiff and polite, speaking to Lizi as little as possible. It was great to spend a few days with Rick and Brandon. She was glad to be spending time with Gigi again and to be back at work, but she kept feeling like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The day after Rick and Brandon left one of the waiters at Fitzgigi _'_ s turned twenty-one, and a bunch of them went out to celebrate after work. It felt good to relax and let off some steam, and Lizi had a few more drinks than she usually would. Chad picked her and Jane up and gave a couple of their friends a ride home as well. As they drove up to the house, Lizi _'_ s heart did a funny little flip, and it took her a moment to realize why. There was a light on at the top of the house and a familiar SUV parked below.

Darcy was back.

* * *

A/N: _Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit.  
_ _Next Up: Fitzwilliam_


	30. Fitzwilliam

_A/N: If you are asking a question you would like me to answer please remember that I can't reply if you aren't logged in (or PM me)._

* * *

The second floor was quiet—Gigi had to be asleep. There was a single light on in the living room. Lizi started up the steps to Darcy's room, but stopped halfway up to argue with herself. She should wait and see what Darcy's behavior was toward her and get an idea of where things stood between them. She should also wait until she was sober. She acknowledged the wisdom of both these thoughts, and then continued up the steps. She was tired of waiting and trying to guess where she stood with him. The alcohol had given her some courage, and this time she had thought about what she would say.

She hesitated again before knocking on his door. What if he had fallen asleep with the light on? She'd be waking him up. She had cost him enough sleep already. She knocked lightly, if he didn't answer—

"Come in?"

When she entered, Darcy was sitting cross-legged on his bed working on his laptop—but he closed it, saying "Lizi," in a soft, husky voice that made her shiver. He was wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt. He looked groggy and rumpled as if he had been asleep. How was it he looked even more attractive like this than he did in a towel?

"Sorry, did I wake you?"

"No. I was asleep earlier, but I got a phone call from Singapore."

"Oh, good. I mean, good that I didn't wake you. I mean, am I interrupting you?"

"No. Not at all."

She had thought this through. Why was she so tongue-tied? Maybe she should go. Just apologize for bothering him and ask if she could talk to him tomorrow.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy forced himself to breathe. She might just be up here to use the bathroom. Still, he'd been half afraid she wouldn't come back. Her family would need her. Or she'd learn that he'd paid the hospital bill and think he'd gone too far. Even when he'd come home tonight and learned she was here, he still couldn't relax until he saw her. And now that she was standing in front of him he wondered if he were dreaming.

She said, "How was your meeting? I hope we didn't cut into your prep time too much."

 _This can't be why she's here. Can it?_ "It went well actually. It was with the company I was telling you about. They presented a three-year plan to turn things around, and the board agreed it's realistic."

"That's great. You must be relieved."

"I am. Do you… would you like to sit down?"

"Thanks." She perched on the edge of his bed. They were about an arm's length apart. "So, I know you paid Lydia's hospital bill."

He felt his stomach knot. "Are you angry?"

She reached out and touched his hand lightly. "No, of course not." The touch was only for a second, but it was enough that the knot melted away leaving a warm feeling behind.

She continued, "You are very generous, and I don't want to be ungracious, but Lydia needs to learn there are consequences for her actions. My father intends to make her work to pay you back."

"That's reasonable." She visibly relaxed when he said this, and he felt bad to think she had been worried about how he would respond. "It wasn't my intention to put you under any sense of obligation or to make you uncomfortable. I can see where I overstepped, paying the hospital bill."

"Oh, no, it's not that! I'm sorry if what I said before came across that way. I only felt bad that you did so much."

"I wanted to do all that, Lizi. I wanted to stop him from hurting anyone else, and I especially wanted to keep him from hurting _you_. I understand why Lydia needs to repay me for the hospital bill, but as to the rest, I hope you will accept anything I might have spent in the spirit it was intended."

She stared at him, and he was beginning to wonder if she was going to reply when she said, "You make it sound so reasonable, but it's hard to concentrate with you distracting me like that."

"Distracting you?"

"Looking all rumpled and sexy. It's hard to have a reasonable discussion when I can't stop thinking about kissing you."

 _Tell me about it._ "Sorry, I wasn't doing it on purpose."

"You're still doing it."

He ran his fingers through his hair trying to straighten it out. "Does that help?"

"Just the opposite. May I kiss you?"

He moved closer to her. "Please do."

She leaned in, and they kissed so briefly it felt like she barely brushed his lips.

"Better?"

She moved closer. Now they were only inches apart, "Not really. I'm still thinking about kissing you."

This time it wasn't clear who kissed whom. He put his arms around her, and their kiss grew more passionate. There _are_ things _we_ still _need_ to talk about. Her hands were in his hair. And _I don't_ have any condoms. He pulled her closer. And _she's_ been drinking. She pressed against him _,_ inflaming his desire.

Lizi pulled away and stood up, "Sorry, I didn't mean to… I didn't come up here to throw myself at you."

"I wasn't thinking you had."

"I know how you hate that. I'll show you."

"You don't have to—"

She pulled off her top, undid her skirt, and let it fall to the floor. "See? No fancy lingerie."

She was wearing a plain beige bra. Her panties looked like they had started out blue and been washed with something pink. They had a small hole on one side, and they said "Wednesday." It wasn't Wednesday. Not a dream, then. He wouldn't have dreamed mislabeled underwear.

This was definitely unplanned. Or had she remembered his preference and taken it a step further, as she had with the hair-clip? Either way, it was equally enticing. He thought he had wanted her before, but it was nothing to the strength of his current passion. He briefly considered that it would be worth the embarrassment of running downstairs and asking Chad for a condom, but that wasn't the only issue. "Lizi, would you come back over here please?"

When she sat by him again, he put his hands on her shoulders, "Lizi, if you are doing this out of gratitude…"

She laughed softly. "I'm not _that_ grateful."

"How much have you had to drink?"

"I didn't drive. Chad picked us up."

"Good, but that wasn't—"

She reached out and touched his shirt, caressing the fabric between her thumb and fingers. "It's not very gentlemanly of you to be the only one in a shirt."

He smiled, "Sorry," and pulled it off. She ran her fingers lightly down his chest, giving him chills. He took her in his arms again, pulling her in for another kiss. After a few clumsy tries, he unhooked her bra. He lowered her into a reclining position next to him, pulling her bra off the rest of the way. He kissed her lips, her neck. She looked like she was getting sleepy.

"Lizi, is this OK?"

"Mmmm."

He pulled away from her, sitting up, "I need you to say _'_ yes _'_ or _'_ no. _'_ "

She laughed softly again, closing her eyes, "Yes or no."

He shook his head, trying to recover his wits, "Lizi, how much have you had to drink?"

She yawned, "Enough to make me brave. Not enough to end up puking all over you."

"Maybe we should continue this another time." He hated saying that, but he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he went ahead without being sure she knew what she was doing.

She opened her eyes half-way, reached up and caressed his face. "Always the gentleman. Some people say it's better to be a little drunk your first time."

"It's your first time?" He _knew_ John Wicks was lying, but he was relieved to hear it all the same. It was also all the more reason to stop.

"Mmm."

He sighed. "Lizi, if you still want to do this when you _'_ re sober—and I hope to God that you do—we will."

"You don't want me?"

"I want you so much Lizi, surely that's obvious. I just don't want to do anything you'll regret." _Or hate me for._

"Are you angry?"

"Of course not."

"Can I stay? I'm all cozy."

 _Stay forever._ "Yes, but here," he handed her the t-shirt he had taken off, "put this on."

"Thanks." She pulled it over her head and laid back down. How was she just as alluring like this as she had been a moment ago?

"Do you want to take off your shoes?"

"Oh, yea." She kicked them off. He laid down, she snuggled up against him and fell asleep. Darcy lay awake for several hours. He hoped that when she woke up, she wouldn't be upset that she was here.

It was a warm night. Earlier, the ceiling fan had been enough to make it pleasant, but now he was too hot and bothered for it to be effective. He could go for a swim or even take a walk or a shower, but that would mean leaving Lizi, and who knew whether they would ever be together like this again. He would rather not give up a moment of his time with her.

.~.~.~.~.

When Lizi woke up the next morning, it took her a few moments to remember where she was. Her head ached. The blinds had been drawn, but the sun was so bright, and the room had so many windows, it was still uncomfortably light. She moaned as fuzzy bits of memory from last night came back to her. What had she _done_? After everything that had happened with Lydia, it would look… she didn't even want to think about how bad it looked! It had suddenly become so important to her for Darcy to think well of her. Now that she had probably blown it with him she realized how much she wanted to be with him. They were so well suited to each other. Her liveliness and humor helped him to relax and not take himself too seriously, and she thought with time she could help him not to be so hard on himself. His steadiness and serious nature grounded her, and his intelligence and education made for stimulating discussion. On some level she had been aware of this for weeks. If only she hadn't been so impetuous last night. If only she had thought through the best way of approaching him—and done it sober—instead of joining the ranks of women whose unwelcome advances he so disliked.

She could hear Darcy's voice coming from the balcony. It sounded like he was on the phone. Good. She could get out of here. She'd have to deal with him, but she could at least wait until she'd recovered a little. Where were her clothes? She carefully got out of bed to look for them but when she stood up, her bladder demanded her attention. She'd have to use the bathroom first. She'd just have to be quick and hope that Darcy's meeting lasted long enough for her to get away.

In the bathroom, there was a bottle each of Advil, Pepto-Bismol, and mouthwash next to the sink. She was pretty sure they hadn't been there last night. She took two of the Advil, rinsed her mouth and splashed cold water on her face. She looked like the poster child for death. When she came out of the bathroom, Darcy was sitting on the bed. _Rats_. He was wearing a tailored shirt, tie, long shorts, and a slim cut blazer. The blazer was lightweight with sleeves that stopped about two inches above his wrists. He looked even more than usual like he had stepped out of a fashion magazine.

He stood up, handed her a bottle of water, and said softly, "I hope I didn't wake you. How are you feeling?"

 _Humiliated_. She ran her hands through her hair as if it could make any difference. "Like a hot mess. I'm sorry about last night. I don't, I've never done something like that before. I don't usually get drunk."

"I know."

"You must have thought… I can't even imagine what you must think of me." Her head was pounding. It made it hard to find the right words.

He stepped forward and put his hands on her shoulders, "Lizi, I was barely capable of thought at all last night, beyond how much I wanted you. I only found the wherewithal to stop when I realized how out of it you were. I was also afraid that if we did anything you regretted, I could have no hope of you ever coming to love me as I… as I love you."

Lizi stood perfectly still, as if by moving or speaking she would break some sort of spell and undo what he had just said.

Darcy spoke again, "Even this morning I was terrified that I didn't stop things soon enough. I hope that by speaking of my feelings, I haven't ruined our friendship. I won't mention it again if you don't like it."

He looked so frightened, so vulnerable, that her concern for him released her from her frozen state. She stepped forward and lightly touched his cheek. "I'm glad to hear of your feelings. I sometimes thought… but then I was afraid I was wrong, afraid that if I let myself feel more than friendship for you, it would push you away, or I might have admitted to myself weeks ago that I was falling in love with you." Her words tumbled out so quickly she was afraid he would have no idea what she'd said, but the expression of heartfelt delight diffused over his face made it clear that he had. She had never seen him look so handsome nor so happy.

He ran his fingers down her face as if he wanted to reassure himself she was real. "I shouldn't be keeping you standing when you're hungover. Would you like to sit?"

She nodded, and the movement made her wince. She had almost forgotten her headache.

"Here." He piled up a bunch of pillows so she could sit on the bed and lean back against the headboard. There were chairs in the room, but they didn't look as comfortable as the bed.

Darcy took off his jacket and tie. "I had to skype in for an early meeting." He placed them over a chair (so that's what the chairs were for), stepped out of his shoes, climbed into bed, and sat facing her. "Lizi, I know now that I was fooling myself last fall when I thought all I wanted was sex. Had you accepted, I don't believe I'd ever have been able to give you up after one brief weekend. I spoke with someone, a therapist."

His tone was soft and soothing, and she was tempted to close her eyes, but at the mention of his speaking to a therapist she became alert. "You did? How did it go?"

"It went well. I think I'm going to work with her."

"Had you been thinking about seeing a therapist before I brought it up?"

"No."

"Wow."

"Why 'wow'?"

"It's just, usually when you recommend therapy to someone they _'_ re more resistant. It was brave of you to try it."

"We talked about our argument. I think the reason it bothered me that you wanted to pay me back is that I couldn't possibly repay all you have done for me."

"What I've done for you? I don't... Just because I held you that night after your nightmare?"

"No, not just that. It's everything. You tell me things I need to hear, and I'm happy around you in a way I haven't been since before my parents died, and when I'm with you, I feel like the best version of myself. Because of you, I've been forced to face some things about myself that I didn't like but I'm better for it, and I feel… I'm not sure how to explain, it's like I was keeping a part of myself locked away thinking I was keeping myself safe, but really I was imprisoned. Because of you, I feel free. In addition to all this, I feel like you've given me back my sister."

Lizi blinked back tears and said softly, "You _'_ re too generous in giving me credit and too stingy toward yourself. One day you _'_ ll realize you did all the work and then you _'ll_ be disappointed with me."

"Never, but I'm being selfish to keep you talking. I should let you rest. Unless you think you can eat something?"

"No. Thank you."

"You should drink some more water and get some more sleep then. Do you mind if I stay? Just to sleep, I mean."

"Darcy?"

"Yes."

"This is your room, and your bed."

"I just meant…"

She smiled, "I know, and I'd be glad of your company but don't you have to work?"

"Unless I get a call, the rest of what I need to do today I can do on my own timing. I can often arrange my schedule to my own liking. When Karo was here I…I _'ve been_ forgetting to say the very thing I've been waiting to tell you. Lizi, I never had sex with Karo."

He had stretched out next to her as he was speaking. She finished her water and snuggled against him. "I'm glad, and I never had sex with John Wicks."

"I know."

"You do?"

"You said last night it was your first time, so logically…"

"Oh" she felt her face warm, "I didn't remember saying that." After a few minutes, she added. "I'm glad you didn't sleep with Karo, not that I would hold your past against you but…"

"I'm cold toward her, I know, it must have made you wonder."

"I wouldn't have believed her but, as I said, it was so close to what you said to me."

"I finally figured that out. Karo went on and on so often about what a perfect date would be, I thought I was ignoring her, but it must have seeped into my unconscious. I know the whole _'_ shopping trip _'_ idea must have seemed especially strange. Actually, I always made a point of not sleeping with women I would have further acquaintance with."

Something wasn't adding up here. "If you didn't think it was safe to sleep with someone you didn't know, and you didn't sleep with anyone you would see again, there can't have been many women who met your requirements."

His voice sounded sheepish when he replied, "If you had said yes, that would have been one."

"Really?" She sat up so she could look into his face. He was blushing. "I thought… I mean…" She sighed, "You'd think I would have learned by now not to believe anything about you that you didn't tell me yourself, but I seem to keep repeating the mistake."

"Do you mind that I'm not more experienced?"

She cuddled down next to him again, "No, of course not. It's nice."

"It might be, if I had preserved my virginity for more noble reasons." After a brief pause, he added in a tentative tone, "I have read a lot on the subject."

"I'm sure we'll figure things out."

He pulled her closer and kissed the top of her head. "Yes."

"I didn't mean just now. I'd rather not be hungover."

"Of course, and I need to be better prepared. Anyway, I meant to let you sleep. You work at four?"

"Yes."

"Good. You should feel better by then, three o'clock is the magic hangover time."

They both went to sleep and woke again around noon. Lizi had been told many things about Darcy that weren't true, but Chad's portrayal of him (as a snuggly sleeper) had been accurate. Lizi was his equal, and they woke up nestled together. They stayed that way for some time, enjoying holding each other close and reiterating their feelings for one another. Lizi's headache had improved, so she was better able to articulate her feelings and fully appreciate Darcy's descriptions of how much she had come to mean to him. At one point Lizi said, "What should I call you, now that we're in love?"

"You mean like a pet name?"

He sounded so worried that she couldn't resist teasing, "Yes, I was thinking of something like 'stud-muffin' or 'huggy bear.'"

"If you do, I will be forced to retaliate and call you 'my pearl' or 'goddess divine.'"

Why did that sound familiar? "Darcy, did you watch the 2005 _Pride and Prejudice_ movie?"

"In addition to reading the book several times, I watched the 1940, the 1980, the '95, the 2005 and a version where Mr. Darcy was played by a dog."

"Just when I thought you had no surprises left, you tell me this!"

"Chad convinced me to read the book, and once I did, I was enthralled. For months it held a kind of fascination for me that was almost an obsession. At the time I didn't know what it was, but now I think it was because Austen's characters come to love each other even though there was a point when it seemed impossible that they could. When I first read it, I didn't even think I wanted a relationship, but on some level, I must have known I did."

She turned her head enough to kiss him on the cheek, and they were quiet for a few minutes before she said, "I was actually only asking if you prefer Darcy or Will."

"Oh, well, Will has come to sound strange to me unless it's my sister saying it."

"So, Darcy."

"Yes or…"

"What?"

"Do you think, when we're alone, you might call me Fitzwilliam?"

She sat up so she could look him in the face, and touched his cheek, saying, "I love you, Fitzwilliam. Yes, I can call you Fitzwilliam." She kissed him. "Fitzwilliam." She kissed him again more passionately, "Fitzwilliam."

After a few minutes, he pulled away. "I probably shouldn't stay in bed with you like this much longer. Are you ready to eat something?"

"Yes."

When they went downstairs, there was no one else around. Lizi was relieved. She wasn't ashamed of being with Darcy, but it was so new. She wanted to keep it between the two of them for a little while longer.

After eating, Lizi felt well enough that a swim would do her good, and the two of them headed to the beach, where they met Gigi, Chad, and Jane. She felt as if things were so different between her and Darcy that the others would perceive it immediately, but none of them seemed to notice the change. Even their coming down to the beach together didn't draw attention. Lizi was in for a fair amount of teasing for having slept so late, and for wearing sunglasses in the water, but everyone seemed to assume Darcy had been working.

By three o'clock, Lizi's hangover was gone. She went to work and somehow made it through her shift, even though it was hard to concentrate. She tried not to check the time too often. She tried to trick herself into believing it was earlier than it really was, but the time dragged by. She couldn't help thinking about going home and being with Darcy.

When Lizi got home, the others were watching a movie. Chad and Jane were snuggled up on one of the couches and Darcy was sitting in the middle of the other with Gigi on one side. Lizi changed into a sundress and flip-flops and joined them, sitting on the other side of Darcy, as close as she thought she could get without raising suspicion.

Darcy was barefoot. Lizi slid her feet out of her flip-flops, and moved her foot until it was touching Darcy's. He moved his foot just a little, rubbing it against hers. She stole a quick sideways glance at him, and he had a small smile on his face. He placed his hand on the couch between them. She did the same, and they sat with the backs of their hands touching. If anyone had noticed, it would have looked unintentional, yet Lizi could hardly believe the others were so oblivious. Her heart beat faster, and she forced herself to breathe evenly. How much longer was this stupid movie?

* * *

 _A/N: My decision to make Darcy a virgin isn't any kind of moral judgment. I chose to go that way because logically, how many women could he know well enough to trust and yet not have to see again? Also, because I enjoy writing an inexperienced Darcy. :)_

 _Now that Darcy's back-story has been fully revealed: If after chapter 14 you left a review along the lines of "Darcy is irredeemable" and/or "they shouldn't end up together", and you either haven't reviewed since then, or reviewed as "guest", could you let me know if you are still reading? (Even if you are still unhappy with what I did with his character, I'd like to know if you're still here.)_

 _BTW: Did no one wonder why a man who had sex as often as it looked like Darcy did, would throw away his condoms when Lizi said no?_

 _I find it interesting that people blame Lizi for believing Wicks but people believed Rick even though Darcy contradicted what he said about the "sex wine". It gives me an idea how to make Lizi's POV more sympathetic in the beginning. I need a character people trust to say something nice about Wicks to her._

 _Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit.  
_ _Next Up: Finally_


	31. Finally

_A/N: I didn't mean "Finally" as in last chapter, this isn't the last chapter._

* * *

Content Warning: Darcy and Lizi discuss the sexual assault in this chapter.

.~.~.~.~.

When the movie finally ended, Gigi went to bed, but Chad pulled out the ice-cream and asked who wanted some. Lizi heard Darcy sigh, and she wondered if he regretted that he let the Bartley's treat his unit as their own. Jane walked over to join Chad in the kitchen area, and Darcy took advantage of their distraction to give her hand a quick squeeze and say under his breath, "We might as well have some, he won't leave any sooner if we don't."

Lizi gave him a reluctant nod. If they couldn't go upstairs yet, she'd just as soon stay where she was, but it would look odd for the two of them to keep sitting there when they weren't watching anything. Why didn't Chad and Darcy have some kind of signal for when they wanted the other to clear out? Come to think of it, why didn't she and Jane have one? A signal that would let Jane know she wanted to be alone with Darcy, without exactly admitting she wanted to be alone with Darcy.

Lizi and Darcy sat at the counter opposite Jane and Chad, turned toward each other just enough that their knees touched. Neither of them said much. Lizi didn't want to encourage much conversation. When they had finished eating, Jane said, "I should go to bed. I'm on the breakfast/lunch shift tomorrow." Chad said he would join her, and the two of them headed downstairs. Finally!

Without saying a word, Lizi picked up the ice-cream dishes and put them in the sink. When she turned back, Darcy was watching her intently. He closed the distance between them and whispered, "If I don't kiss you soon, I may lose my mind."

Her only reply was to lift her lips to meet his. The kiss tasted like strawberry-chocolate and coffee ice cream. He pulled her closer, and their kiss grew more passionate. When he spoke, his breath tickled her ear. "Will you join me upstairs?"

She nodded. Darcy took her hand, and they climbed the steps together in silence.

Still holding her hand, he sat on the bed, and took her other hand as well. She stepped toward him so that she was standing between his legs. There was a bag from CVS sitting on his nightstand. He noticed her glance at it and said, "I hope I haven't been presumptuous. If you want to take things slow—"

"No, I'm ready if you are."

He let go of her hands, and she put them to good use. He put his hands on her legs, moving them up the outside of her thighs, "Just to be clear, we are talking about—"

"Making love, yes."

He smiled, nuzzling her neck. He caressed her hips, and hesitated, moving his hands as if he were looking for something.

She laughed softly, "Given your feelings about lingerie, I thought it safest not to wear any."

" _Elizabeth,_ " he whispered, " _dearest… loveliest… Elizabeth…"_ Earlier today it felt like they would never tire of speaking of their feelings, but now they seemed to have moved beyond words. Darcy had a moment of panic, when he felt like he'd forgotten everything he had read on the topic, but Lizi pressed against him in a way that drove all thoughts from his mind, and he gave up on trying to do things by the book.

What the two of them lacked in experience, they made up for in tenderness. They were each eager to give the other pleasure, and if the encounter was less than perfect, if they were sometimes clumsy and things were sometimes uncomfortable, they were so grateful to be sharing this intimacy that they were not disappointed, and they both looked forward to further practice.

.~.~.~.~.

They woke late the next morning and snuggled together, speaking softly.

"Lizi, when you have a free evening, I'd like to take you on a real date."

"A _real_ date?"

"Nothing too extravagant. Dinner and dancing maybe? Somewhere local."

"You dance?"

"Yes. Why wouldn't I dance?"

"No real reason. Somehow I just didn't expect it."

"It's because I didn't want to dance in the book, isn't it? Or rather, Jane Austen's Darcy didn't want to dance in the book, but we are now 'particularly acquainted.'"

She laughed, "Maybe I did get the idea from the book without realizing I had. If we are going to go on a 'real date', it begs the question: what do we tell everyone about our 'particular acquaintance'—or do we just let them figure it out?"

Darcy took a few minutes to think about his answer. "If it _'_ s OK with you, I think I _'_ d like to tell people straight out, so there _'_ s no misunderstanding. Gigi and Chad at least, and I ought to give Rick the chance to tell me he was right."

"I hope Gigi won't think I was only friends with her to get close to you."

"I don't think she will."

"I'd like to tell Jane, and Carla when she gets back. The rest of my family I _'_ d like to wait until summer _'_ s over. It _'_ s not that I don _'_ t want them to know, but I don _'_ t want to make a lot of fuss about it."

"I understand."

"What about Karo?"

She felt him tense. "What about her?"

"Should we make a point of telling her?"

"Lizi, would you do something for me? It's something I don't want to explain just yet."

"What is it?"

"When we are in bed together, I don't want to think about Karo. Could you avoid any mention of her name?"

"Of course." She could easily understand his not wanting to think about Karo, but it was some time before she felt him relax again, and his saying he didn't want to explain just yet made her wonder what had happened to upset him.

.~.~.~.~.

In spite of what he'd said to Lizi, Darcy was nervous about talking to his sister. He knew she liked Lizi but it was still a change in their dynamic just when they had gotten closer. He didn't want Gigi to feel neglected. After thinking over what he wanted to say, he asked her to come upstairs to talk. As they sat, he realized she looked as if she were reporting to the principle. "Gigi, nothing's wrong. I just wanted to talk to you about something."

"OK."

He cleared his throat, "You may have noticed that Lizi and I have been spending a lot of time together."

She nodded.

"You like her, don't you?"

"Yes, a lot."

"Good, because I care for both of you a great deal. We, Lizi and I, have started dating." The word seemed inadequate, but it was the best he could come up with, especially when talking to his sister.

She clasped her hands and hugged herself, giving him a huge smile. "She'll be around once summer's over then?"

"Yes."

"Will she move in with us, in Princeton?"

"We've only just started dating. I don't think she'll be ready to move in just yet. Are you OK with this? If you have any concerns, I _'_ d like to know. I don't want you to feel left out. Neither of us do. _"_

"I'm not worried, I like her. I like seeing you happy."

He wasn _'_ t sure how to respond to that. _"_ I _'_ m glad. If you do have any concerns, I hope you'll come to me. _"_

"I will."

"Good."

"Are you coming down to the beach?"

"Soon, but I need to take care of some things first. I think Lizi _'_ s already down there."

"I'll see you on the beach then."

They rose, and she gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before leaving the room. There was a spring in her step that made him grin. It reminded him of when she was a child, and she used to skip when she was happy.

Darcy finished his business as quickly as possible. When he went downstairs, Chad was there making a sandwich. He decided to take the opportunity to talk with him, rather than make a big production out of it. _"_ So, Lizi and I are, um, together. _"_

Chad dropped the mustard knife he'd been holding, " _Together_ together?"

"Yes."

"I wondered if you knew you were in love with her. I'm glad you finally figured it out."

"Me too."

.~.~.~.~.

Gigi plopped down into the chair next to Lizi. After a few minutes, Lizi looked up from her book and found Gigi grinning at her. _"_ Did your brother tell you—? _"_

Gigi squealed and gave her a big hug. _Well, that was easy._

Jane was more difficult. Her lack of suspicion had been nice once, but now it made the whole thing come as such a surprise that Lizi had to convince her she wasn't teasing. However, once she was assured that Lizi was telling the truth, she couldn _'_ t have been more pleased. _"_ He and Chad are practically like brothers! We _'_ ll be… _"_

"Like sisters?"

Jane smiled, " _Silly_. I just mean that we'll all stay close."

It was a big relief to Lizi that Jane and Gigi were pleased with the news. She was still anxious about how her parents—especially her father—would respond, and she thought of it with anxiety from time to time, but for the most part she convinced herself not to worry about it until the time came.

With the new understanding between her and Darcy, the others in the house informed, and nothing to cause immediate anxiety; they ought to have entered a period of "happiness centered wholly in themselves", where they frolicked on the beach, got caught in unexpected thunderstorms, fed each other funnel cake, kissed on the Ferris wheel, posed for Old Time Photos, and stayed up all night to watch the sunrise together. But Lizi still had to go to work, Darcy could not always arrange his management responsibilities around his romantic life, they were both careful not to neglect Gigi, and they spent as much time as before with Jane and Chad. Rather than resent these intrusions of everyday life, Lizi considered the times when they were alone to be that much sweeter. She had less patience when it came to Karo.

Karo's icey politeness to Lizi—while Darcy was away—was over. While her room was now downstairs, she was around almost as frequently as she used to be. She renewed her excessive fondness for Gigi, and was as eager as ever to agree with Darcy's opinion, or say things he would like—except when it came to Lizi. She sought to disparage Lizi at any opportunity, in spite of Darcy's obvious displeasure. Her attempts were so pitiable that Lizi would almost have felt sorry for her—except that Darcy's reaction to Karo's name the morning after they'd first made love, as well as subtle changes in his behavior around her, made Lizi suspect that there was more wrong between them than Karo's accusation. Lizi didn't press him for more information—knowing he would open up when he was ready—but it made it hard to give Karo the benefit of the doubt.

When Karo couldn't take a dig at Lizi directly, her family would do just as well—especially if Jane and Chad weren't there to hear. Sometimes even when they were there, she couldn't resist an opening. This was the case one morning as Chad and Darcy were discussing the annual Bonfire Beach Bash.

Darcy said, "Chad, if there are any lifeguards you haven't invited to the party, I'd like to hire a few to work at it."

"I don't really invite the whole island, you know."

"If you restricted your invitations to people who have sense enough to stay away from the water," said Karo, "Darcy wouldn't need to hire lifeguards."

Darcy looked annoyed. "We're serving alcohol at a large party on the beach. It's a liability."

"We should thank Janice," said Chad. "If she hadn't taken a dunk, we might not have considered the danger until it was too late. Now that I think about it, Darcy, you should thank _me_ for inviting the rest of the Bennets in the first place."

"You can't take credit for inviting people who have already invited themselves." Everyone turned and stared at Jane, as if wondering who had spoken in her voice. She shrugged one shoulder and looked at Lizi in a way that seemed to say, " _What? You thought you were the only one who could do snark?_ " She turned to Chad, "Ready?"

"Yup." The two of them left the room.

Darcy glanced at his watch. _"_ I have to Skype in for a meeting in ten minutes. I _'_ ll find you on the beach afterward? _"_

 _"_ Sounds good. _"_ Lizi didn _'_ t turn her face up for a kiss as she normally would, but Darcy kissed her on the top of the head. He ruffled Gigi's hair and headed upstairs.

Karo watched him leave. She glanced at Gigi, then narrowed her eyes at Lizi and hissed, "It won't last."

 _"_ What if it does, though? _"_ Asked Lizi, _"_ Or, what if it lasts ten years, or even five? Is this really what you want to do in the meantime? _"_ For a brief moment, Karo looked pained, but she quickly adjusted her expression and flounced out of the room.

When the door slammed, Lizi realized Gigi was staring at her. _"_ What? _"_

"You're so… I wish I were more like you."

"Gigi, there's a lot to be said for thinking before you speak."

"Often by the time I work up the courage to say something, it's too late."

Lizi was tempted to ruffle her hair the way Darcy had, but she restrained herself and said, _"_ Maybe we can help each other to find a happy medium. _"_

"I'd like that. I'm really glad you and Will are together."

"Me too."

.~.~.~.~.

The only downside to all of Lizi's happiness with Darcy, was that the summer days slipped away even more quickly than they did most years. Before she knew it, it was the night of the Bonfire Beach Bash. The party was even more crowded than last year, and Lizi wondered who on the island Chad _hadn't_ invited. When she went in to use the bathroom, there were a number of people waiting, so she went up to Darcy _'_ s. She felt a little guilty about skipping the line, but she didn't feel enough at home to invite a bunch of random people to traipse through Darcy's room.

When she came out, she noticed the door to one of the balconies was open, and when she checked, she found Darcy sitting out there alone. It was so dark she didn't see him at first. She stepped out "Fitzwilliam, are you OK?"

"Yes, I'm just recharging. It's something Donna, my therapist, suggested. She said introverts are drained from being around people, and that taking some time alone, when possible, might help me to keep from disengaging from people or becoming disagreeable."

"That makes sense. I'll leave you alone."

"No, I didn't mean _you_."

"I don't mind."

"You don't tire me the way most people do. Being around you energizes me, but I don _'_ t mean to keep you from the party. _"_

She took a seat beside him. _"_ You aren _'_ t. I _'_ m enjoying the party a lot more than last year, but a break is nice. I _'_ m glad things are going well with Donna. _"_

He was quiet for a short time before saying, "Actually, I'm not sure I'm going to keep working with her."

"Oh."

"What?"

"Nothing. It _'s_ just that sometimes people stop going to therapy just when they are starting to make progress. I'm not saying that's what you're doing. You're the only one who knows what works for you. It's just something to think about."

"I feel like she's making a bigger thing out of what happened with Karo than it really was."

When Lizi didn _'_ t reply, he asked, _"_ What do you think? _"_

"I don't know what happened with Karo. You only said that you didn't have sex with her."

"Oh, I thought… Well, it doesn't matter. What happened was, I woke up one night and she was in bed with me, kissing me, and we were… in a close embrace. When I realized what was happening, I pushed her away. _"_

A rage came over Lizi like nothing she had ever experienced before, and she was unable to speak.

Not noticing the change, Darcy went on to tell her about the conversation he had with Karo after he'd overheard her talking to Lizi, and concluded by saying, "So, Donna thinks I need to work on boundaries, because I offered to pay for Karo to go to therapy."

By now Lizi had found her voice, and because she didn _'_ t want to upset him, she forced herself to speak calmly. _"_ She tried to rape you? _"_

"No."

"What would have happened, if you hadn't woken up?"

"I can't believe she'd do something as bad as that _—_ and even if she had, I don't think I could've slept through it."

"At best it was sexual assault." She touched his hand lightly as she spoke, hoping to take the sting out of her words.

"What she did was wrong, but to call it sexual assault is an exaggeration." He sounded angry.

"It wasn't consensual, so what would you call it?"

"I'm not a victim!" he snapped.

She took a deep breath, reminding herself again not to raise her voice. He wasn't the one she was angry with. "Fitzwilliam, how would you feel if a man had done something similar to me?"

He was quiet for a long time, and when he spoke his voice sounded strained, "I would want to kill him, but this is different."

"How so?"

 _"_ For one thing, I don _'_ t think she understood that she didn _'_ t have my consent. I snuggled up against her, and I was… aroused. _"_ She got the impression it had cost him a lot to admit that.

She reached out her hand, and he took it in his. She gave his hand a supportive squeeze. _"_ That doesn _'_ t mean you bear any responsibility for what happened. You were asleep. You get aroused in your sleep all the time. It doesn _'_ t mean I feel free to start making out with you when you aren _'_ t conscious. I know you understand how important consent is. I kissed you and took off my clothes, and you still made sure I said 'yes _'_ or 'no. _'_ You have every right to expect that same respect from anyone else. _"_

He was quiet for a long time, even by Darcy _'_ s standards, and she couldn _'_ t imagine what he was thinking, but he kept holding her hand. Finally, he let out a long sigh, _"_ What would you have me do, Lizi? A man in my position… _"_

His voice trailed off, and when it was clear he wasn _'_ t going to continue, she said, _"_ I _'_ m not asking you to do anything you aren _'_ t comfortable with, but I hope you _'_ ll continue to work on this in therapy. _"_

"I will."

She squeezed his hand. "Good. You're very brave."

"I don't feel brave."

"Then I hope you can trust my opinion of you until you do."

"Would you hold me for a while?"

"Of course."

The chairs on the balcony didn _'_ t lend themselves to intimate embraces, and they soon moved to the bed. She held him for a long time, but it didn _'_ t become sexual. At the moment he just wanted comfort, and she was happy to give it.

Eventually, he said, _"_ I should get back. The crowd will have thinned out by now, and it will be more noticeable if I _'_ m not there. Besides you missed out on the s _'_ mores last year. _"_

"Are there s'mores every year?"

 _"_ We never plan for there to be, but every year Chad 'just happens' to have enough supplies to make hundreds of s'mores."

Before they left the room, he said, _"_ Elizabeth. _"_

She still felt a delicious chill when he used her proper name. He was the only one who called her Elizabeth (except when her mother was cross with her, and then it was _"_ Elizabeth Ann Bennet _"_ ). He usually only called her this during their most intimate moments. _"_ Yes? _"_

"Feel free to wake me up."

"What?"

"Any time you might want to do anything you need my consent for, feel free to wake me up."

She smiled, "I will, and please do the same."

She returned with him to the party, wondering how much longer people would stay.

* * *

 _AN: As always: Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit.  
_ _Next Up: Seashells and Gifts_


	32. Seashells and Gifts

A few days after the party a steady rain kept most people off the beach, which made it a good day to walk and look for shells. Lizi was careful not to pick up too many. She was wearing one of Darcy's lightweight hoodies over her bathing suit—he had lent it to her because it had a big front pocket she could put shells in, but she suspected it was expensive and worried about ruining it. Darcy didn't pick up many either, but he seemed only to pick up a certain type—though it was hard to see why, since they were always broken pieces.

The walk had started with the five of them (Karo being blessedly absent for a change), but the others had turned back some time ago. Darcy picked up a shell, looked at it, and threw it into the water.

"What was wrong with that one?"

"What makes you think something was wrong with it?"

"You threw it back."

"It wasn't ready." Darcy reached into his pocket and pulled out the pieces of shell he had picked up.

Now that he held them up to her, Lizi realized they weren't just broken pieces. They had been in the ocean long enough that they were polished smooth and the purple in them had been brought out.

He said, "If I took it now, it would never turn into one of these." They were pretty, but he said it as if it had a deeper meaning.

Now that she thought about it, he had a bowl of these in his room. She wanted to ask a question but wasn't sure what to ask.

He looked around as if to make sure they were alone, before speaking again. "After my parents died, I stopped going to church. People there wanted to be supportive, but I found it overwhelming—even for the sake of bringing Gigi, and she didn't want to go either, so… anyway, the only prayer I could say was, 'I'm still not talking to you.'

"After Gigi had gone away to school, I came down here alone for a week in October. I was walking on the beach, and I happened to pick up one of these smooth bits of shell. I held it in my hand, and I was just sort of rubbing it between my fingers, as one does. As I held it, the thought came to me that it had once been a perfect shell. That it had been broken into pieces, but over time the ocean had turned it into something beautiful, something new. I felt—I'm not sure how to describe it—a kind of presence, and I felt…" he glanced at her quickly, as if to check how she was taking it, before continuing, "…I felt loved and understood, like God was telling me he understood pain, and loss, and feeling broken—but not with words, it was like there was no need for words, like I could just rest in that presence, and the knowledge came to me that nothing was ever so broken it couldn't be made new."

He glanced at her again, looking sheepish, and gave a small shrug, "That may sound—"

"Fitzwilliam." She touched his face, not trying to blink back the tears that sprang up in her eyes. She held his gaze, hoping to convey what she couldn't find the words to say. She was deeply touched, not only by his experience, but by how naturally he had shared it with her. She had only dated one guy who had talked about his faith, and he made such a point of talking about it that by the end of the date it had become obnoxious. Even in high school, when she'd briefly dated a guy from her church, they had never talked about God outside of youth group. "Thank you for telling me this, for trusting me."

He smiled, put the shells back in his pocket and turned to continue their walk. "Since then, I've always made a point of collecting a handful of these every year. They remind me of that experience, and I don't try to pray with words anymore, but from time to time I hold one of the shells and sit or walk. I guess it's kind of like a meditation."

When they had walked a little further, she said, "Have you gone back to church? I'm not judging, I'm just curious."

"We go to Trinity Princeton from time to time. It's big enough that we can slip in and out without socializing much. I liked the church, where I grew up, but I feel like I was a different person when I went there. So many people still know me, and want to know how I am. I feel more comfortable where people don't know my story."

"That makes sense." So he was Episcopalian like she was. Even if her father didn't like Darcy, he would enjoy the irony of their both being Anglican. Thinking of her father made her anxious again about him, but she pushed the thought aside. This wasn't a time to let her mind wander to her own concerns.

He said, "I know your church must be important to you. Chad mentioned that you teach Sunday School."

"Only when I'm covering for Jane. I'm a reader, and sometimes I help with the youth group. I was more involved in High School than I am now, but it is important to me. I go most Sundays except in summer. I wouldn't try to drag you along or anything though." _But I'll want my priest to marry us._ The thought surprised her. In some ways, it felt like it was way too soon to be thinking along those lines, but at the same time, there was a sense of rightness about it.

Darcy nodded. She felt like she should say more, he had told her about a profound experience, and she had basically told him that she goes to church. "I guess I never really had anything happen that would make me question my faith. It's just kind of always been part of me. I know a lot of people do question their faith in college, but I haven't. I mean, I've always asked a lot of questions, but wrestling with the questions has always just been part of it for me. The only thing really bad that ever happened to me was Lydia disappearing, and for that I had your support, so it wasn't as hard to get through as it could have been."

"Here." He took her hand, held it palm up and placed one of his shells in it. He closed her hand around it and kissed her fingers as if he was sealing her hand closed. "In case you ever do have a crisis of faith, it might help."

 _Aw_. There was no end to new things to discover about this man.

After a moment Darcy looked around, "How far have we walked? Do you have any idea? I've lost all track of time."

"I don't know, but the others turned back a while ago. We should probably head back."

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy was relieved that Lizi didn't seem thrown by what he'd told her. Just because someone went to church didn't always mean you could say something like that and have them accept it. He was surprised by how easily the words had fallen from his mouth without his thinking it through. He felt even closer to her now. It was a constant source of amazement to him, the way he was continually falling more deeply in love with her.

He hated to agree they should head back, but he knew they had probably walked further than he realized, and the tide was coming in. They wouldn't have the firmer sand to walk on much longer.

As they turned around, he said, "I hate to be a cliché, but I really do love taking long walks on the beach with you."

A bright smile lit up her face, "Oh dear, I love it too but if we are already a cliché, we might as well lean into it and kiss in the rain."

It was as if she sensed his desire to lighten the mood and was helping him along. Normally he would be happy for any excuse to kiss her but just now it might be unwise. "Do you mind if we wait until we are closer to the house? At the moment I'm particularly attracted to you and we have a long walk back. I'd be more comfortable if we waited."

She brushed the sand off her hands and pushed her hair out of her face, looking down at herself, "Seriously?"

He suspected she had no idea how appealing she was to him, all windblown, with his wet hoodie clinging to her figure. She was most striking when she wasn't trying to be attractive.

She continued, "OK, maybe we can check off some others on the way back. We can discuss how we fell in love, and finish each other's sentences, or have an argument about who loves who more."

"There's no point in comparing the depths of our love until we can get a stable measurement. Mine is continually increasing." He said it jokingly, even though it was true.

"You are too cruel. You ask me to wait, and then provoke me to kiss you immediately."

"Sorry."

"Maybe we should concentrate on clichés specific to the shore—while we still have time." A brief frown passed across her face. She probably hadn't meant to remind herself that it was almost September.

"We can come back from time to time in the fall. Even if it's just to come down on a Friday night and leave Saturday or early Sunday morning."

"That sounds nice, but I'll still miss having the whole summer down here. I shouldn't complain after getting a summer more than I expected, but I'll have to look for a job after I graduate. I won't have much vacation time, maybe none the first summer."

"Maybe your internship will lead to a job offer."

"Yea, maybe." She didn't sound very enthusiastic.

He wondered if she had ever considered that she was taking an internship someone else might find exciting, but there was no use bringing that up now. This conversation gave him an opening for something he'd been wanting to talk to her about, but he wondered if this were the right time. He didn't want to start an argument just when they had shared such a nice moment together. On the other hand, the walk would give them plenty of time alone to discuss the issue, and if he kept waiting for the ideal time, it would never happen.

He took a deep breath, "Lizi, there's something I want to talk to you about. It's something I'd like to do for you, but I need to ask you to keep an open mind. Just hear me out and consider the idea."

"If you have to preface it so much, are you sure it's a good idea?"

"I'm convinced it is, but I don't think you'll agree."

"If you're going to offer me a job…"

"No, no, no. I'd like to pay for you to go to Grad school."

She stopped walking, "Oh, that's…oh!"

"I know you have the deal with your parents about your sisters, but we can figure that out."

"You're very generous, but it's too much. I couldn't…" Maybe it hadn't been a good idea to do this now. She almost seemed like she was in shock.

There was a spot where the ocean had cut into the sand making a small ledge. As if by mutual consent they walked to it and sat down.

"It wouldn't be a hardship."

"That isn't the point."

"What is?"

"I don't…" She ran her hands through her hair, "I… Why do you want to do this?"

"It seems like you'd be happier if you didn't have to wait to pursue the kind of career you're really interested in. Also, I think you have a real gift with people, and you could be doing so much good."

She paused for thought before answering, "I _thought_ I was good with people, but after everything that happened this past year I'm not so sure."

"If you mean because you believed John Wicks, I think you _'_ re too hard on yourself. He knows how to make himself agreeable. He's very convincing, and you had no reason to suspect him of anything. At times _I've_ even been tempted to believe him, and I know better." _Why does this sound familiar? Oh._ "I'd be grateful if you didn't tell Rick I said that. He said something similar to me once, and if I admit he was right too often, he'll get a swelled head."

She smiled at that, "Your secret is safe with me." But her expression turned serious again, "It's not just that. I was too ready to believe bad things about you, I was almost happy to. Also, I've been no help with Lydia. I keep losing patience with her."

 _Who wouldn't?_ But he kept that thought to himself. "I think everyone has that problem in their own family. And sure, you've made some mistakes—everyone has—but you've learned from them, and you'll only be better for it. Your instincts about people, combined with a touch of caution because of your experience, will serve you well.

"If you've really changed your mind about Grad School, or psychology, I won't argue, but if this doubt is really about being uncomfortable accepting a gift from me, I think we should talk about that."

She nodded and stared at the shell he had given her, rubbing it between her fingers. For a moment, he was afraid she was going to say he had already given her the shell, but when she finally spoke, she said, "It would make things so uneven between us. I think that scares me."

 _Ah_. "I think I can understand that, but I wouldn't see it that way. If anything I would consider it an investment in our future."

She looked up and met his eyes, "How so?"

"If you are doing something that makes you happy, we'll both be happier."

"It's not like I would never do what makes me happy. I always planned to go back to school eventually, after I'd saved enough to do it, and I don't think I'd be miserable in the meantime."

"Yes, but it will be that much longer before we can start a family." Oops, the second time today of just blurting something out.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but she showed no sign of aversion to the idea. She smiled, saying, "Less than a year ago you didn't even want to like me."

"Having tried it both ways, I'm convinced being in love with you is the better option."

She touched his hand, "Fitzwilliam, I love you. I don't expect that ever to change, but no one does when they fall in love. I know you're sincere, and it means a lot to me that you want to do this, but if things ever change it might look different from the other side, and I would hate for you to resent me or feel your investment didn't pay off."

"If things ever change, the money is the least of what I will be losing, and the thing I can most easily afford to lose. All investments are a risk. I'm as sure of this one as I've ever been of any, and more confident than I've been of most. I know the risks, and if I'm wrong I'll accept the costs, you owe me nothing, and I couldn't resent you if I wanted to.

"I don't mean to pressure you. I only brought it up now so that you would have plenty of time to think about it. Will you?"

"Yes, I'll think about it."

"Can we revisit the issue after your internship?"

"OK. That makes sense."

A large wave broke on the beach, and the water came up to their knees. They stood up quickly as the sand beneath them gave way.

"I guess that's our cue to finish our walk." That had gone as well as he could have hoped.

"We need to get back anyway. You never know when it might stop raining."

As they walked along Lizi gave him a mischievous smile, "So do you have a list of baby names I don't know about?"

 _If it's a girl, Emma Elizabeth. Technically, that's not a list._ "No, I'm not quite so far gone as to be making _lists_ of names."

.~.~.~.~.

The weather co-operated and not only provided the opportunity for them to kiss in the rain, but made it necessary for them to slip up the outside steps to Darcy's room, peel off their wet clothes, and warm each other up.

It would have been nice to stay up there all day, but Darcy couldn't ignore his phone indefinitely. Eventually, Lizi left him to his work and went to look for Karo. There was one thing she was determined to do before the end of summer that wasn't on a list of romantic clichés.

* * *

 _AN: Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit.  
_ _Next Up: Home Again_


	33. Home again

Lizi stopped at the bottom of the steps, taking the shell Darcy had given her out of her pocket and rubbing it between her fingers. She closed her eyes, taking deep breaths. She had waited to talk to Karo until she had her anger more or less under control. She had promised Darcy not to over-react _("Desperate people do desperate things. She's pitiable."_ _)_ , but when she thought about the shame in Darcy's voice when he told her he'd been aroused and how tense he was when Karo was around, anything short of violence seemed like an under-reaction. She understood now, in a way she hadn't before, why Darcy had punched John. Of course, she wouldn't get violent. She didn't know what she _could_ do—speaking of a restraining order or exposure would be empty threats, and Karo would know it—but she had to do _something_. She had to try.

Lizi knocked on the door of the lower unit, and then reconsidered and let herself in. No one ever knocked on Darcy's door.

Karo came out of one of the rooms. She looked startled to see Lizi. "I was just on my way out."

"Darcy told me about the sexual assault."

Karo rolled her eyes, "Is _that_ what he's calling it now?"

"That's not _'_ what he's calling it. _'_ That's what it's called, by definition."

"I don't know what he told _you_ , but he didn't say _'_ no. _'_ "

"He didn't say _'_ _no?_ _'_ _HE DIDN'T SAY_ _'_ _NO_? _'_ Do you even _HEAR_ yourself? He didn't say _'_ yes! _'_ " So much for staying calm. She wanted to gouge Karo's eyes out. She wanted to pull out all her hair. The shell was still in her hand, she squeezed it so tightly it cut into her skin.

"Not in so many words."

"He was _asleep_!"

"His body said 'yes.'"

Suddenly Lizi realized something. She wasn't sure, but… "You knew he was a snuggly sleeper." She said it softly. Her voice sounded weird in her own ears, frightening. Suddenly she felt strangely calm.

Karo's mouth dropped. She recovered a second later. "I don't know what you're talking about."

But a second was enough for Lizi to know her guess had been correct. Chad had said Darcy was a snuggly sleeper. It _could_ have been a joke, but they had grown up spending summers down here together, and the houses had been full at that time. As kids, they might have shared a bed on occasion to make room for guests. Chad could have mentioned any time that Darcy was snuggling up, pushing him out of bed. "You knew if you got into bed with him, he would snuggle up to you without knowing what he was doing."

Karo rolled her eyes again, but she looked worried.

Lizi continued, "You shouldn't be here."

"You can't make me leave. This part of the house belongs to _my_ family."

"I can't, but if you go on like this, he's just going to end up hating you. He's very generous to offer to pay for you to go to therapy. You should do that before he changes his mind."

"Suddenly you're an expert on Darcy? You've known him a _year_. I've known him my _whole life_."

"It doesn't take an expert to see that you are only making things worse."

"Your telling me that only proves it's not true. You want me out of the way."

Lizi sighed, shaking her head. "You were never in my way Karo. You're in your own way. You should go for therapy."

With that, she walked out of the room. She didn't know what she'd expected to accomplish. Karo was just desperate and pathetic like Darcy said. She either wouldn't or couldn't accept reality. She no longer wanted to pull out Karo's hair. She just wanted her to give Darcy space to deal with what had happened. The only upside to the end of summer was that Darcy would be away from her.

.~.~.~.~.

Chad and Jane left the next day. Jane needed to get back to get her classroom ready, and Chad claimed he needed a few days at home before starting grad school. It wasn't until after they left that the others learned Karo had gone with them. Gigi got a text from her saying some things had come up, and apologizing that she hadn't had time to say goodbye. Maybe something had gotten through to Karo after all.

On Lizi's last night at Fitzgigi's, Darcy and Gigi came to dinner at the end of the night. They ordered for all three of them, and Darcy told Lucas he would lock up. Once everyone else had left, they turned off the lights and ate by candlelight. Then they blew the candles out so they could look out over the island.

When they were ready to leave, Darcy surprised them both by bussing their table and saying, "Just like old times."

Noticing their surprise, he continued, "I worked here one summer as a bus-boy. I didn't take many shifts, but the plan was for me to work at entry-level jobs at a number of our companies to get a sense of the businesses from another perspective—but of course, that didn't happen once… once I had to take over."

When they got back to the house, the three of them stayed up late talking.

Gigi said, "Not that I don't like having all our friends here, but it's nice to have our house to ourselves."

Lizi met Darcy's eyes, and the two of them exchanged a smile. She was touched that Gigi spoke of her as if she were part of the family, and knew how much it pleased Darcy.

All too soon it was time to pack up and go home. Jane had already taken the car, but the Darcys were more than happy to give Lizi a ride. She and Jane should have done something about their car situation. They knew it wasn't going to work to share anymore, but somehow they had let the summer slip away without doing anything about it.

Lizi suggested they take 571 home and Darcy reacted to the idea like a kid on Christmas morning. You would think a man who hated driving on the Parkway would have looked for an alternate route, but somehow he had never thought about it. People who took the Parkway always seemed to think that was what you did—but then Lizi's family had always taken 571, and she never considered the Parkway, so it worked both ways. When Gigi commented on how much more relaxed Darcy was on the drive, Lizi was sorry she hadn't thought to mention it sooner.

When they pulled up to the house, there was an unfamiliar car in the driveway, but Lizi was distracted by the realization that the Darcys were getting out to help her bring her stuff in and to say goodbye. Suddenly it didn't seem like a good idea to have waited to tell her family about Darcy. Or at least, she should have convinced him to just drop her off. She smiled, imagining Darcy slowing down and her jumping out of the car and shouting, "Go save yourselves!" as he sped away. Yea, he probably wouldn't have agreed to that.

Maybe no one would be home. Maybe she could convince the Darcys to drop her bags on the porch and say goodbye to her outside. No such luck. The door flew open, and her mother came running out, shouting, "Lizi, you're home! You're home!" before flinging her arms around her. Jane and Kat followed her out more sedately.

In spite of Lizi wishing for a better moment to tell her about Darcy, she was happy to see her mother and pleased by such an enthusiastic greeting. They had never been apart for so long before. Her mother stepped back to look at her with her hands on her shoulders. "Jane says you have a rich boyfriend! Where is he?"

She said it as if she expected Lizi to pull a rich boyfriend out of her pocket. Jane looked at Lizi apologetically saying, "I didn't say it like _that_."

Darcy stepped up beside her. "That would be me. It's nice to see you again, Mrs. Bennet."

Her mother's mouth dropped open, and she stared at him without saying a word.

Lizi was so taken aback by her mother's silence that she couldn't think of anything to say either. Just when she feared they'd be standing there for the rest of the day in awkward silence, Darcy said, "Mrs. Bennet, this my sister Gigi. Gigi, this is Mrs. Bennet and Lizi's sister Kat."

Her mother finally found her voice and said more softly than Lizi had ever heard her speak, "Please call me Janice." Even though it was Gigi she had just been introduced to, she shook Darcy's hand.

"Lizi!" said Kat enthusiastically, "Did you see Jane's new car? Chad bought Jane a new car!" She cast a furtive look at Darcy when she said this.

"He _helped_ me buy it," Jane corrected her, "and it's used, but it's only a few years old."

To Lizi's relief, Darcy seemed to be taking this all in stride. He looked at the car and said, "That car has a pretty good safety rating. Chad must be glad for you to be in something safe."

Jane looked a little surprised by his comment—safe cars weren't exactly high on Chad's priority list—but she agreed the car was safe.

Lizi was casting about for some way to change the subject before anyone decided to hint that Darcy should buy her a car (or Kat asked for one for herself, which she looked like she was ready to do) when a smoke alarm sounded from inside the house.

"Mom, do you have something in the oven?"

"Don't be silly Jane, what would I have in… _OH MY GOD, THE OVEN!"_ Their mother turned and ran into the house. Jane went with her, but Kat stayed behind.

Gigi addressed Kat, saying, "What school do you go to?" and Lizi felt a swell of pride that she was trying to make conversation with a stranger, even if she had done it a little awkwardly.

"I'm starting at Mercer* this week," Kat replied. "I figured, why go through the trouble of applying to a four-year college, when I can just go there?"

Gigi nodded, as if she didn't know how to respond. Was Kat _trying_ to remind Darcy all at once of everything he didn't like about her family, or was it just coincidence?

Darcy glanced at his sister, "We should probably get going." Gigi nodded, gave Lizi a quick hug, told Kat it was nice to meet her, and climbed into the car.

Lizi walked with Darcy around to the other side. They kissed goodbye, and he told her he would call her tomorrow night to see how her first day at her internship had gone. It felt so strange—after spending all summer in the same house—to be arranging a time to talk on the phone.

Lizi threw one of her bags at Kat and picked the rest of her stuff up herself. Darcy had forgotten he was in the middle of helping her bring her stuff in. Should she be worried about that? Her mother had behaved better than she would have expected, but Kat! Well, it could have been worse—it could have been Lydia.

She took her stuff up to the room she shared with Jane. As she unpacked, Lydia came in and flopped down on the bed. "Kat said you and Darcy are together now."

"That's right."

"Can you get me out of paying him back?"

"Of course not!"

"He probably doesn't even care about the money. He can't need it."

"That isn't the point."

Lydia rolled her eyes and sighed melodramatically, but Lizi was just glad to find out the payments were happening.

Kat joined them, and Lizi said, "and he's not buying any cars for anyone either!"

"You should convince him to have another party!" said Lydia, forgetting that she was mad at Lizi about the money, "In Princeton this time. We can all go!"

"Aren't you still grounded?"

Lydia gave her a dirty look but then changed it to a falsely sweet smile, "You could talk Dad out of that. Tell him I've learned my lesson."

"Lydia, let's not get into this right now. I just got back."

Lydia stomped out of the room.

"You could at least _ask_ about a car," Kat whined. "Otherwise what's the point of having a rich boyfriend? We googled him. He could easily afford to buy us _all_ cars."

"I'll have to thank Jane for telling all of you I have a rich boyfriend."

"She had to say something. Mom was talking about setting you up with Bill Koll. He's single again."

"He's also our first cousin once removed. Mom must have been talking about someone else."

Kat shrugged, "She said Bill Koll."

It wasn't worth arguing about, but Kat must be mistaken. Her mom said some kooky things, but she wouldn't be trying to set her up with her own cousin.

By dinnertime, Mrs. Bennet was over the first shock, and had found enough of a voice to grill Lizi about how long she and Darcy had been together; when he was coming for dinner; what she should serve; whether there was any chance of a double wedding with Jane and Chad; and all she had learned about him on Google in the last hour. Her father was frowning and finally cut in, "Aren't you going to tell Lizi _your_ news, my dear?"

"What news is that?"

"I think she would like to hear about your job."

"Oh, why must you bring that up, just when I had managed to put it out of my head? They let me go Lizi!"

Lizi took her mother's hand, "Oh Mom! I'm sorry. What happened?"

"They said they had to cut back."

"Well, you've been there a long time. You probably made more money than the part-timers they hire that only stay for a year or two."

"Yes that must have been it," said her father sarcastically. "It wasn't all those times she 'forgot' to show up for work."

Her father had always had a sharpness to his humor, but this seemed unusually cruel. She ignored him and said to her mother, "I'm sure with your experience you'll find something else." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized it might not be true. Her mother worked in a high-end specialty boutique just outside of Princeton. She had a real talent for flattering the customers and gossiping with them, so they forgot how much money they were spending. Would that skill be appreciated in other stores or would some managers think she was wasting too much time spending half an hour or more with the same customer? Another place might not be willing to give her summers off—although that probably wasn't an issue anymore. It was weird that they'd let her mother go. They really liked her there. They had customers who asked for her.

Her mother squeezed her hand, "Thank you Lizi, now tell me about Darcy's house in Princeton, have you been inside?"

.~.~.~.~.

Later when she and Jane had gone up to their room, Lizi said, "I'll pay you for my half of our car."

"You don't need to. Like I said, Chad helped me buy this one."

"You don't feel weird about that?" She hadn't meant to ask a leading question. It was just that _she_ would feel weird and it surprised her that Jane seemed to be OK with it. Luckily Jane took everything anyone said in the best possible light and wasn't offended.

"Why would I? He wanted to do it, and we'll be married in a couple of years when he finishes his masters."

"That's true." Maybe Lizi would feel differently about Darcy paying for Grad school if they were actually engaged, but she didn't think she would. Why was she the only one of her sisters who didn't like the idea of her boyfriend spending money on her? Not that Jane was anything like her younger sisters, and she was sure Jane would never _ask_ for anything, but she really didn't seem to have any problem with Chad helping her buy a car.

Lizi's phone beeped with a message from Darcy, "I miss you."

She replied, "I miss you, too!"

Her phone rang. Darcy was calling. She answered and walked into Mary's room to take the call. Mary had been home so briefly over the summer her room was beginning to looked unlived in. Kat and Lydia had taken to leaving things in there claiming that, if Mary were going to stay at school _even over the summer_ , she didn't need the space as much as they did. It did make a good place to find some privacy. It was funny how quickly you got use to something. Not so long ago she wouldn't have thought anything about talking in front of Jane.

When Lizi answered, Darcy said, "I got your text, and it made me want to hear your voice."

" _Aw_. I'm glad you called."

"I was afraid of waking you up."

"No, I'll be going to bed soon."

"Are you nervous about starting your internship tomorrow?"

"Not really, I'm just used to summer hours."

They talked for a few more minutes, made plans for when they would see each other and—rather than play out the romantic cliché of arguing about who would hang up first—counted to three and hung up together.

When she got back to their room, Jane was getting into bed. As Lizi got into her pajamas, she said, "What was that business about Mom forgetting to go to work?"

"She forgot to go in a few times. I think it was just the stress of everything that happened with Lydia. It really rattled her."

"Oh." Having no better way of accounting for her mother _'_ s behavior, she figured Jane must be right. She turned off the light and got into bed. "Dad was kind of a jerk about it."

"You know how he is. When he worries he makes jokes."

"Yea, I guess so." Had her father's jokes gotten more cruel or was it her perspective that had changed. Something didn _'_ t seem right about the whole thing, but she couldn _'_ t figure out what it was.

The shell Darcy had given her was on her nightstand, and she took it and held it in her hand. They hadn _'_ t been together that long, but it felt odd to go to sleep without him.

* * *

*Mercer County Community College (It's just Kat's attitude that bothers Lizi not the school itself. Many people go there, work hard and get a good education.)

 _A/N: Thanks as always to those of you who followed, favorited and reviewed_ _and thanks to cactustactus for the edit_ _. I'm glad people responded positively to the seashell conversation I was a little nervous about that._

 _Next Up: Guess Whose Coming to Dinner 2_


	34. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner 2

One month into her internship, Lizi sat in her cubical entering employee healthcare information into a spreadsheet. The work was boring, but it was a good company with friendly people—and it wasn't as if they were going to give an intern anything too interesting to handle.

Rick popped his head over the top of her cubical wall, but she continued working as if she hadn't noticed him—she knew he was hoping to startle her, he could be silly sometimes. When she still hadn't reacted after a few moments, he cleared his throat and she said, "Yeees?"

"So, about dinner tonight, Gigi isn't coming. She has a headache."

"Oh, that's too bad. I hope she feels better soon."

"I'm sure she will. You're feeling alright then? No headache, not too tired to come?"

"No, I'm fine. I'm looking forward to it."

"Ah, well, I might as well tell you: my aunt kind of invited herself to join us."

"OK."

"Still no headache?"

She laughed, "I think I can manage one evening with Dr. Burge without any ill effects on my health."

"Good for you. We'll see you and Darcy later then."

.~.~.~.~.

When Lizi got to Rick and Brandon's condo, Darcy was waiting out front for her. "Can I talk to you a minute before we go in?"

"Sure."

"Rick warned you that my aunt is here?"

"Yes."

"She doesn't know anything about what happened with Gigi. Gigi would like to keep it that way."

"Of course. I won't say anything."

"Thanks." He glanced at the bottle of wine she was carrying: _Just Peachy_ from Terhune's. It was more than she would normally spend on wine, but they'd had her over often. "You're bringing them wine?" He said it like it worried him.

" _What?_ They like this wine."

"I know, it's just—never mind, it's a long story, I'll tell you later." He gestured at the house. "Shall we?"

Dr. Burge had already arrived. She gave Darcy air kisses and narrowed her eyes at Lizi. "You were in my class. You got a _B_."

"Did you?" Rick asked. "You didn't say. Congratulations!"

Dr. Burge shot her nephew a dirty look.

During dinner, Dr. Burge monopolized the conversation—grilling Lizi on everything from her grades to her family, determining which investments would do well this year, and advising Brandon as to how he should be running his landscaping business. As they finished eating she returned to the topic of Lizi's grade in her class. "I'm giving my seminar again at Princeton, you can retake it there and try to get your grade up. It's late in the semester to start, but given that you've taken it before you shouldn't be too far behind."

"Thank you, but I'm afraid that won't be possible."

"Oh, the class is full, but the Dean is a personal friend of mine. One word from me and he will be more than happy to let you stand in the back. The credits will transfer of course. If it were the other way around…"

"I appreciate your generosity, but my schedule simply won't allow it."

"Lizi is interning at my father's company this semester," said Rick.

"Are you? Well, I'm very glad to see you put what you learned from me about networking to good use."

Lizi was about to say that she had applied for the internship just like anyone else, when she realized it might not be true. Rick might have put in a good word for her. The more she thought about it, the more likely it seemed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Burge turned her attention to Darcy, "I thought Gigi was coming tonight."

"She said she had a headache."

"You coddle her too much, Darcy. Letting her put off her audition to Julliard and go to public school."

Gigi had started at Princeton High School in the fall and had made some friends there.

Darcy replied to his aunt, "She wasn't happy in her old school, and she's no longer sure Julliard is what she wants."

"Nonsense. You can't just let her do what makes her happy."

"There are worse mistakes I could make with Gigi than considering her happiness." He said it calmly, but Lizi noticed him tense. She reached under the table and gave his leg a quick squeeze. He took a deep breath and relaxed.

"When she gets out into the world no one will care about her happiness, Darcy. She will need to be tough, or she'll be eaten alive."

"Isn't that all the more reason," asked Lizi, "For her brother to be the one person who _does_ look out for her comfort?"

Dr. Burge whipped her head around to fix Lizi with a snake-like stare. "You give your opinion on my niece's upbringing very decidedly for someone who is merely my nephew's dog-sitter and mentee."

"Lizi's not my mentee," said Rick, "She's our friend."

Darcy spoke at practically the same time, "Lizi is here with me." He took Lizi's hand, "If I were going to take anyone's advice on how to treat _my sister_ , it would be Lizi's. She's been very helpful to both of us and is practically a sister to Gigi already."

"What do you mean _'_ she's here with you? _'_ Rick said they usually have lunch once a week."

"Yea," said Rick, "because we're _friends_."

Dr. Burge ignored Rick and focused on Darcy, waiting for his answer. He said, "I mean, she's here with me. We're in a serious relationship."

"Will Darcy! What do you think you're doing? I've tried to introduce you to any number of _appropriate_ women!"

Brandon leaned down to scratch Aikaterine. Lizi was the only one close enough to hear him say softly, "Walk." Aikaterine ran to the door, barking and jumping around. Brandon said, "I better walk her. Would you keep me company, Lizi?"

"You should go with him," Darcy said softly.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, let us talk."

She nodded, gave his hand one last squeeze, and joined Brandon.

.~.~.~.~.

As Brandon and Lizi left, Darcy looked at Rick who said, "I'm staying."

Darcy nodded and turned his attention back to his aunt, "There's no need to waste your time trying to set me up with anyone. I've made my choice."

"Darcy, you can't be serious. She's not the kind of girl you bring home for dinner."

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Can you really be so naïve? A girl like that is only interested in getting her hands on your money."

"That isn't true."

Rick said, "You thought the same thing about Brandon once, but you've come to like him."

"At least Brandon couldn't tell you he was pregnant."

Darcy was quickly losing patience. "Lizi wouldn't do anything like that. You know nothing about her."

"I never thought I would see _you_ so blinded by your affection."

"If I am, it's no business of yours."

"It most certainly is. I am almost your closest living relative. I will not stand by and see you bamboozled."

"Excuse _me_?" Rick interjected, "Darcy and I are very close."

"That isn't what I mean, and you know it." Their aunt snapped at him before turning her attention back to Darcy. "If she tells you she's pregnant you must insist on a paternity test before paying for so much as a doctor's appointment. For all you know, she could have been pregnant when she first slept with you."

Darcy gripped the arms of his chair so tightly it was painful. He was so angry he could barely speak, and his words were almost a whisper. "I don't know why you would _assume_ we are having sex at all, but I will not dignify that remark with a reply. Please do not speak to me on this subject again." He turned to Rick. "When Lizi gets back we are going."

"I don't see why you should be the ones to leave. We invited _you_."

"There's no need," said Dr. Burge, "I will go. You will see that I am right about her sooner than you think."

His aunt left, and Darcy sat forcing himself to breathe evenly. When he finally felt calm again, he realized that Rick looked as if he was lost in thought.

Rick asked, "Do you think there's something they aren't telling us?"

"What do you mean?"

"My parents almost seemed relieved when I came out. They were definitely grateful that my brother married the woman he did."

"And?"

"Why are they all so convinced someone is going to be tricked in some way having to do with pregnancy? I mean it happens but so do a lot of things people don't go around worrying about. I wonder if there was some kind of scandal in our family we don't know about."

"That…" Was there anything to Rick's idea? Suddenly it seemed absurd to have been worried about such a thing. He wished he had talked more to his parents. He shrugged. "Maybe you have a point. Right now I'm more concerned with what Aunt Kathleen meant about my finding out she is right. If she thinks…"

Just then Brandon entered.

"Where's Lizi?"

"Your aunt is talking to her."

"Shit!" Darcy jumped up and ran outside.

.~.~.~.~.

As Lizi and Brandon walked, he said, "She can be a little hard to take. She _hated_ me when Rick and I first started dating. My being a guy didn't even phase her, but I went to college on an ROTC* scholarship."

"Most people would find that admirable."

"Not Kathleen Burge, she figured it meant I was after Rick for his money. I wouldn't care what she thought of me, but I know it bothered Rick a lot more than he let on."

"I guess it never occurred to her someone would _choose_ to serve his country."

"Probably not. She's finally warmed up to me, or at least gotten used to the fact that I'm not going anywhere. She seems to like me better now that I have my own business. She doesn't know Darcy gave me the startup money, or she would probably think I was just using Rick to get to Darcy. She would never believe it was Darcy who approached me."

"Darcy gave you the startup money?"

"Well, invested in my company, but it works out to pretty much the same thing."

"Hmm."

They walked on for a while and then Lizi said, "Do you mind if I ask you something?"

"What?"

"Would you have taken the money if it had been Rick offering it to you?"

"Rick has a complicated trust fund, he doesn't have ready access to that kind of money. But, I don't know, I guess it would depend on a lot of things. Whether he made the offer before or after we got married for one, and why he wanted to do it. Why do you ask?"

"Darcy offered to pay for me to go to grad school."

"Ah."

"I'm not sure how I feel about it. I know he means well, but it's a lot of money to just give me."

"They don't think about money the way we do. Not even Rick does, and he has a lot less than Darcy or their aunt. Darcy would think of paying for school the way you or I would think of helping a friend move."

"You think I should accept it then?"

"Only you can decide that. I can tell you, from what I know of Darcy, I don't think he'd offer it just to give you something bright and sparkly. Not all his investments are financial. Sometimes he invests in people."

"You really think highly of him." It gave her a warm feeling of pride.

"Yea. It's funny, when I first met him I thought he was kind of a rich jerk."

"Me too."

They continued their walk until they thought it was safe to go back, only to find Dr. Burge coming toward them as they approached the townhouse. "You go on ahead," she ordered Brandon, "I have business with Miss Bennet."

Brandon looked like he would argue, but Lizi said softly, "Go ahead. I'm fine."

"Well, Miss Bennet. What is it going to take?"

"What is what going to take?"

"Don't pretend not to understand me. The sooner we reach an agreement, the better for both of us. How much to stay away from my nephew?"

Lizi had to work so hard not to burst out laughing that she lost her breath. Dr. Burge looked so angry! But people didn't say things like that in real life, did they?

Dr. Burge continued, "One hundred thousand dollars."

" _Seriously_? I'm not dating Darcy for his money, and I won't break up with him for money, either."

"Five hundred thousand—you won't do better than that with a Paternity suit, by the time our legal team gets through with you, you'll be lucky if you get enough to pay your legal fees—and if you think you are going to marry him, there will be a prenup."

"Of course, but a prenup would only be a problem if we divorced. In the meantime, I would be so happy it wouldn't be worth worrying about." As soon as the words were out of her mouth, Lizi felt she shouldn't have baited her like that, but she made it so hard to resist.

"Aha! Then you admit you intend to marry him!"

Before Lizi could reply, they were interrupted by the sound of a slamming door and Darcy descended on them. His face was white with anger. " _What_ is going on out here?"

Lizi hadn't seen him like this since John Wicks had crashed his party. She unconsciously stepped between him and his aunt, but Dr. Burge was not so easily cowed. She handed Lizi a business card (which Lizi took without thinking) and said, "Call me when you are ready to negotiate. The offer is only good until Darcy comes to his senses." With that, she stalked off, like someone who was trying very hard to look as if she were storming away of her own free will and not rushing away from her angry nephew.

Darcy narrowed his eyes. "What did she say to you?"

"Nothing worth getting so upset about." When he looked dubious, she touched his hand. "Really, Fitzwilliam, it was just too silly. She tried to bribe me to get out of your life." Actually, it was pretty insulting, but it was better to see the funny side of it. Darcy looked more than offended enough for both of them.

Darcy closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he replied, he seemed to have his anger under control. "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. We won't have any contact with her in the future."

"That seems a little extreme. She _is_ your aunt."

"She was unforgivably rude."

"I can't promise my family will be on their best behavior when you come to dinner next week. All couples have to deal with each other's families."

"Even so."

"Look, we aren't going to solve this tonight. We should go back in. They'll wonder what happened to us."

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi and Darcy didn't stay much longer after dessert. Aunt Kathleen had a way of taking all the air out of the room, even after she was gone. Had she always been this rude? How had it never bothered him before?

Darcy walked Lizi to her car. "Do you need to go home tonight?"

"Not really, but I didn't bring a change of clothes."

"Jenny washed the clothes you left last time." Jenny was the housekeeper.

"She didn't need to do that."

"Asking her not to would just torture her."

He knew she felt weird about someone else cleaning up after her but he also knew it would bother Jenny to ask her not to do her job. He continued, "I still owe you an explanation about the wine and I have some new bath salts you might like to try."

She laughed softly, "I half suspect you are buying bath products for me and pretending they are for yourself."

"I wanted to try them. They have Dead Sea minerals."

"It wasn't so long ago you didn't even like baths. Your bathtub practically looks new."

It was new, but he hadn't told her that. It wasn't like he had lied, she had just assumed he'd had the bathtub all along. In retrospect, it was probably a little weird to get a fancy new bathtub just because he thought she would like it. But were they going to argue every time he spent thirty dollars on bath salts? That was ridiculous. Then again, his aunt had just accused her of being with him for his money. It wasn't the best time to argue that she was being overly sensitive about his spending money on her. "Rick was right. I only needed to try taking a bath with the right person, but I understand if you don't want to come over."

"No, I do, it's just…You know I would still want to come over without the laundry service and fancy bath stuff, right?"

He took her hands and kissed them, saying gently, "Of course I know that, Lizi, but since I do have the bathtub we might as well use it."

She stood on tiptoe and kissed his cheek. "Sorry, I'm being overly sensitive."

He had thought the same thing only moments ago, but he felt bad about that now. "Not at all. I'll see you at home then?"

"Yes. I'll see you there."

* * *

*The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) are a group of college and university-based officer training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. The term of obligatory service varies based on the type of commission as well as any scholarship contract signed.

 _A/N: Conversations that are derivative of the original were done that way intentionally. They are part of what makes this the story I wanted to write._

 _Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit._

 _Next up: Dinner with the Bennets_


	35. Dinner with the Bennets

Before heading over to the Bennets' for dinner, Darcy stopped and absent-mindedly sorted through the mail that had been left for him on a table in his foyer. He did this mostly out of habit and had every expectation of tossing the whole pile into the recycle basket when he was through—but a plain, white, handwritten envelope with no return address caught his attention, if only because he had to open it to find out who it was from. There was still a letter opener in the drawer where his father had always kept it, but Darcy rarely had occasion to use it. The contents of the letter surprised him. It was a copy of two receipts—one was for an appointment Karo had had with a psychiatrist, and the other was for train tickets between Princeton Junction and New York. Both had been paid for with her credit card. She probably wanted to be reimbursed before the payment was due. The psychiatrist's bill was three times as much as his own therapy sessions cost, but then his therapist wasn't a psychiatrist, and wasn't in New York. Leave it to Karo to find the most expensive therapist available, and the train tickets were pushing it. He almost wondered if it were some passive-aggressive way of trying to punish him. Then again, maybe she had just chosen a New York therapist so no one would know she was going. On the bright side, she had decided to send him the bills in the least intrusive way possible rather than use it as an excuse to see him. That alone was a step in the right direction. He was almost surprised to learn Karo even knew how to send a letter by regular mail. He pulled out his phone and made the payments. He didn't care about the money or whether he "had boundary issues." It would make his life easier if she got some real help. He hoped she would learn to face what she'd done.

With that done he headed over to the Bennets', stopping to buy flowers on the way (his stupid cousin had ruined bringing wine). The Bennets' yard was packed with Halloween decorations—even though it was four days after Halloween. Chad's car was parked out front. Good. This was his third dinner with the Bennets, but he'd been there often, and things were always easier with Chad there—it took attention off of him. Even Mr. Bennet liked Chad. Darcy wouldn't have minded Mr. Bennet's dislike, except that he knew it bothered Lizi. His glares and sarcastic remarks were actually easier to deal with than the rest of the family. It probably didn't help that Janice made a point of agreeing with everything Darcy said, and he suspected she would have him over to dinner more often if Lizi weren't running interference.

Janice answered the door and gave him a vague smile. He handed her the flowers, "These are for you."

"How nice, Mr…."

"Janice, it's me, Darcy. You invited me to dinner?"

"Of course, your Jane's… no, Lizi's boyfriend. The rich one."

"Um, yes."

She moved aside and ushered him in saying, "Of course, of course, how silly of me. Lizi has so many boyfriends, it's hard to keep them straight. You better propose to her before one of the others does."

"I'll keep that in mind. Thank you." _What?_ Darcy wasn't sure which was worse, if Janice was purposely lying in the hopes he would propose, or thought that story was a good cover for forgetting who he was. Had she really forgotten who he was? It seemed like more than forgetting his name.

Chad and Jane were in the Living Room with Mr. Bennet. "Ah," said Mr. Bennet, "The good doctor is joining us." He often greeted Darcy this way. He said it as if it were a joke, but Darcy thought he was meant to take it as a reminder of their first meeting. There was no point in telling Mr. Bennet he hadn't fooled him on purpose. He was sure Lizi had already explained.

Jane smiled. "Lizi will be down in a moment."

He nodded in acknowledgment, and Chad said, "Jane was just telling us about one of her students."

She restarted her story, and they all continued to converse. After a short time, Janice came back and said in a sing-song voice, " _H_ _ors-d'oeuvres_." She set down a platter on the coffee table. It contained saltine crackers spread with peanut butter. Each one was decorated with two raisins and a piece of broccoli and a slice of carrot. Maybe it was supposed to be a face, the broccoli could be a nose and the carrot kind of looked like a mouth. Was he being a rich snob or was this a weird thing to serve as an hors-d'oeuvre? Sometimes he couldn't be sure.

Jane and Chad were still talking and didn't seem to notice them. Mr. Bennet seemed to be waiting to see how Darcy would react, but he wasn't sure if that was because Mr. Bennet wanted him to look like a snob, or to look silly eating a weird peanut-butter-veggie-face. Lizi entered the room, sat down next to him, and made a funny face when she saw the hors-d'oeuvres. She raised an eyebrow at her father. "Your idea?"

"All your mother. She must have remembered how you used to love these."

"When I was _eight_."

But she picked one up, saying to Darcy, "Mom made these when we were kids, to try to get us to eat broccoli."

"Did it work?"

"Sort of." She picked off the broccoli and ate it, then did the same with the carrot and raisins, finally eating the cracker with peanut butter.

Darcy picked one up.

"You don't have to eat them," she said quietly.

"I've been meaning to eat more broccoli." He had the satisfaction of seeing Mr. Bennet look disappointed. Lizi made everything easier.

.~.~.~.~.

Whenever Darcy came over, Lizi felt like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop. She knew her mother and younger sisters must be testing his patience (though he never showed it), and her father was weird around him. She still thought her father had something to do with the peanut-butter-veggie-faces, her mom usually tried to make impressive dishes for Chad and Darcy.

Watching Darcy pull a broccoli nose off one of the faces and eat it, she felt a strong wave of affection for him. She couldn't even return the favor by putting up with his aunt. Darcy hadn't spoken to his aunt since they'd all had dinner at Rick and Brandon's last month, and he still said he never would. In spite of the Lydia fiasco, she had started to think of their time at the shore as a magical bubble where they had been in love, and in the same house without scheduling conflicts and difficult families to deal with. Sometimes she thought Gigi was right that she should just come live with them in Princeton—but there were only a few rooms in that house she really felt comfortable in, and she wouldn't be contributing anything. At least at the shore, she'd cleaned up after herself.

Her mother returned to the room, noticed Darcy finishing a peanut butter cracker, and gave him a bright smile, "Do you like them?"

Her father's face would have been unreadable to most people, but Lizi could tell he expected to be amused by Darcy's answer.

But Darcy surprised them both, "When I was little my mom made me a lunch one Halloween that looked like a monster. I'd forgotten about it until now. Thank you."

He'd said this with such sincerity that her mom turned slightly pink, "Well, I'm glad you like them." He hadn't actually said he _liked_ them. "I'll pack the rest up for you to bring home. It's time for dinner."

The six of them filed into the dining room. Kat and Lydia were out tonight, thank goodness for small favors. Lydia was still grounded, but this was a Youth Group service project, so their father had relented. Lizi only hoped it wouldn't be the first step to more relaxed boundaries. On the bright side, Lydia had never helped with a service project before, so that was something.

At the head of the table was a silver platter with a silver cover that Lizi didn't even know they had. Her mother stood by with a proud expression on her face. Once everyone was seated, she removed the cover with a flourish, saying to her husband, "Will you carve?"

Lizi's father often kept his own counsel, but it was rare to see him rendered speechless. He stared at the chicken. They all did. It was placed in the middle of the silver platter and surrounded by an artistic arrangement of vegetables. It would have been impressive, if the chicken had been cooked instead of practically frozen.

After a moment, her father recovered his voice. "You've outdone yourself, my dear. Chicken Tartare I take it? But, you've neglected to give me an ice pick. I'll need one if you expect me to carve."

"You're trying to vex me! There's nothing wrong with that chicken!"

"Mom," said Jane gently, "it isn't cooked. It's not even completely defrosted. Maybe, maybe there's something wrong with the oven."

Maybe there was, but there was still the question of why her mother hadn't noticed. Her mother stared at the chicken in confusion. She touched it. "It is raw. I don't understand. It was cooking for hours." She glanced at Chad and Darcy, "What are we going to do about dinner?"

Darcy started to pull out his phone, "I can—"

Lizi put her hand on his to stop him, "We can pull something together. Come on, Mom, we'll make one of your special recipes." She put her arm around her mother and led her toward the kitchen throwing a quick look at Jane. Jane picked up the chicken and followed them.

"I don't understand what happened with the chicken," said their mother, "and with your boyfriends here, too. I've ruined everything!" She looked like she was about to cry.

"No, you haven't. We'll come up with something. It _'_ ll be fun. The three of us cooking together. Right, Jane?"

"Yes, it will be fun. We shouldn't have left it to you in the first place. We'll make something that doesn't use the oven."

Jane was still holding the chicken and Lizi suspected she didn't want her mother to see her dumping it in the garbage, but they would have to. Who knew how long it had been sitting out, and even the vegetables had been up against raw chicken. Lizi turned her mom toward the kitchen cabinets to distract her. "Let's see what we have." She pulled out two packages of mac and cheese. She knew it was crazy to focus on making dinner just now, but it was the only thing she could think to do.

"Lizi!" her mother sounded scandalized. "You can't serve Darcy _that_! He'll never marry you!"

At least her mother sounded more like herself. Lizi pulled out cans of tuna and mushroom soup. "We'll make that stuff you make that tastes like a casserole. It will be something he's never had. He liked the Saturday Night Surprise, that was your invention." Why did it suddenly feel like everything was going to fall apart if they didn't get something together for dinner?

Her mother seemed to relax. "Yes, I remember I made that up because I forgot to buy rolls. He liked it?"

"Yes. He liked it a lot."

"Well, I guess we can try him on this." Normally, Lizi would have made some comment about her mother making it sound like he was a dog, but now she was just glad her mother was cooperating. Why was she so frightened?

They put the water on for the noodles, and the three of them made a salad while they waited for it to boil. It actually was fun preparing a meal together—or it would have been, if she hadn't felt like something else might go wrong at any second. When everything was ready, they brought the food into an empty dining room.

"You two go find the men," their mother said, "I'll just run up and fix my face. I won't be a moment."

Jane and Lizi headed to her father's study. As they approached, they heard Darcy saying angrily, "…happy to take care of anything your insurance doesn't cover."

"There's no cure for silliness!" Their father replied sharply as they entered the room. He and Darcy were glaring at each other and Chad was glancing anxiously between them.

Lizi took in the scene. Maybe she shouldn't have left these two alone so long, even with Chad as a buffer. "What's going on?"

"Your _boyfriend_ ," said her father, giving the term more venom than he usually did, "thinks he can take better care of my family than I can."

"You're twisting my words."

What was going on? "Is this about grad school?" It didn't make sense but it was the only thing she could think of that might account for their behavior.

Her father and Darcy answered, "Yes" and "No" simultaneously.

"I just want to make a call," said Darcy, "to a neurologist I know. I think your mother should see him. It's not just the chicken. When I first arrived tonight, she seemed to have forgotten who I was."

"I wish _I_ could," her father mumbled.

Lizi ignored him and said to Darcy, "You really think something is wrong with her?"

"I think we should find out."

"I noticed something too." Chad looked nervously between Darcy and her father, "When I was here before when Lydia was missing. I had a rather odd interaction with Janice. At the time I put it down to stress."

"With my wife, most interactions are rather odd."

"What was it?" Jane asked Chad.

Chad turned slightly pink, "It was as if she were flirting with me. As if she'd forgotten I was Jane's boyfriend."

"I'm sure you misunderstood," said Mr. Bennet.

"No!" Darcy had been angry before, but Lizi felt his tension increase. "Chad wouldn't misunderstand something like that. It is you who are determined to ignore the truth!"

"Or am I just denying you the chance to play the hero, _again_." Her father's voice had a tone Lizi had never heard him use before, somewhere between sarcasm and anger. "Lydia, grad school for Lizi, a neurologist for my wife. What will you do for Kat and Mary, I wonder? And is there something for Jane or will you leave her to Chad?"

Darcy took a deep breath. Lizi could tell he was trying to force himself to stay calm. Chad put a hand on Darcy's shoulder, "We should take a walk, let the Bennets talk about this."

Darcy turned to Lizi, his eyes flashing. "Lizi—go to grad school, don't go to grad school, do whatever you want, but for God's sake, try to talk some sense into your father about the neurologist. I'm not losing another member of my family simply because your father seems to think that having less money than I do gives him some kind of moral superiority! Jane seems to be the only one in this family who can simply accept a gift with any kind of _grace_!"

With that, he stalked out of the room. Lizi started to follow him, but Chad said quietly. "I've got it. You three should talk." She nodded, and Chad went after Darcy.

"Well," said her father, "that was interesting. I didn't know your boyfriend had it in him, Lizi." He sounded amused again.

"Chad's wrong," said Jane, surprising them both. "It's not the three of us that need to talk. We need to talk to mom."

"Oh, that's a _great_ idea, Jane." Their father answered, "Let's give your mother _another_ reason to convince herself she's ill."

"It's her decision. I'm going to talk to her." With that Jane walked out of the room as if there were no need for further discussion. She was probably right.

Their father watched Jane go and said in a more serious tone than he normally used, "She surprises me sometimes. I always forget that she can be firm when she feels she's right."

"She is right."

He sighed. "I suppose she is."

"Look, best case, you'll be proved right, Darcy will have wasted his money on whatever insurance doesn't cover, and you can lord it over him forever. Worst case, there's really something wrong, and we are better off finding out than letting it go on. Mom can be flaky and… impossible, but she's always taken a lot of pride in her meals."

"I do like the part about lording it over Darcy—if not forever, at least until you break up with him."

"Darcy's not going anywhere Dad. I wish you would give him a chance, get to know him like I do. It hurts me that you don't like him, but it doesn't change anything."

"Boyfriends come and go."

"He's not just a boyfriend. He's, you'll make fun of me for saying this, but he's my soul mate. He makes me laugh, he challenges me, I enjoy being with him, he makes me happy, he… I'm the best version of myself when I'm with him. I love him, and I want to build a life together with him."

"If all this is true I'll be forced to admit that he deserves you. I hate to give you up Lizi, but it sounds like you've found someone worthy."

"It _'_ s true, besides," she smiled remembering, "he just called mom his family."

Her father gave her a hug and kissed her on the head, "You better go find him then."

.~.~.~.~.

Lizi found Darcy and Chad sitting on the old swing set in the Bennet's backyard. Chad stood up, saying, "He's all yours," and returned to the house.

Lizi sat on one of the swings, turned so she was facing him.

Darcy spoke first, "I'm sorry I lost my temper."

"It's OK, I didn't know you felt that way."

"I was angry. I overstated things, but I do get frustrated. I know I should be glad you don't want me for my money, but… I guess there's a difference between not wanting me for my money, and rejecting me because of it."

"I'm not rejecting you."

"I've never not had money. It's part of who I am. We joke about my 'superpower' with making calls, but it's really just part of having the money to get things done. It's not like I'm trying to shower you with fancy jewelry or expensive furs."

"I know. I'm sorry. I have so much trouble accepting gifts in the spirit they were intended. I think I just need to get used to it. I'm working on it."

"I understand that. It's the other reason I haven't proposed yet. I don't want to argue about the ring." (They had talked about waiting until she was done with school.)

"Why would we argue about the ring?"

"The one I want to give you was my grandmother's. It has a great deal of sentimental value, but it's also worth a lot of money."

She reached out and touched his face. "Fitzwilliam, we don't have to argue about the ring. Let's just see how things go with my mom and then we'll talk about grad school, OK?"

"OK."

"What I actually meant was: I didn't know you thought of my mom as family."

He smiled, "She made me peanut-butter-veggie-faces. How could I not?"

"And my father?"

"I'm working on it. He's not totally wrong about me. I do think he is… less attentive to his family than would be ideal. I know I shouldn't judge until we have a family of our own, but sometimes I do."

Lizi nodded in acknowledgment of his point. After a brief pause, she said, "We could just tie him and your aunt in a sack and see who survives."

He laughed, "For that, it would almost be worth speaking to my aunt."

With that, they returned to the house.

Lizi's mother met them at the door. "Jane told me about your wanting me to see a neurologist, you should have talked to me about that. It's my decision."

Darcy looked a little surprised, "You're right. I apologize. I thought if I talked to your husband first he would be prepared to support you."

"That isn't really Thomas' forté, but he'll come around. Please make that call as soon as it's convenient."

Lizi was shocked to hear her mother speaking so calmly and using the word "forté." As if in answer to Lizi's thoughts, her mother continued, "It's better to know, and maybe he'll tell me I'm not crazy."

Darcy said, "I'll call first thing in the morning."

"Well then, let's get you some dinner. You don't really have to take home the hors-d'oeuvres."

"If you don't mind, I'd like to take them home. It's been a long time since anyone made something like that for me."

Her mother patted him on the arm, and Lizi felt as if something had changed. Some bond of understanding existed between them that hadn't before.

.~.~.~.~.

It seemed like no time at all had gone by between the night her mother had served the raw chicken, and the morning Lizi was pacing back and forth in the family waiting room, waiting for news of her mother's surgery. The neurologist had diagnosed a tumor and referred her mother to a neurosurgeon. In the time between tests and doctor's appointments, she had been frantically giving Jane and Lizi instructions for cooking Thanksgiving dinner. It was the last thing any of them cared about, but it was important to their mother, so they let her teach them.

The tumor had been caught early, it was in a location that made it ideal for surgery, there was every reason to hope for the best possible outcome. Lizi repeated this information over and over to herself as she paced, as if it were a mantra. Her father was asleep on one of the couches, they were the only ones here. Jane couldn't take time off, and her father had told her younger sisters not to come today. Darcy was supposed to be with Lizi, but the surgery had been moved two days earlier, and she hadn't told him. There was no point, he wouldn't be back from his business trip until tonight. She rubbed the piece of seashell he had given her between her fingers. She wished she'd told him, maybe he could have worked something out so he could be here.

"Lizi." Her heart leaped before her brain had processed the voice.

"Darcy! How? I thought you were in Washington until tonight."

"We finished this morning, and I took the helicopter back."

"How did you even know?"

"I used my superpowers."

Why was she asking questions? She stepped into his arms, "I'm really glad you're here."

When they sat down, she glanced at her father. "It's the stress, plus he hasn't had much sleep lately."

"Of course."

They sat close, holding hands, Lizi put her head on Darcy's shoulder, "I keep thinking of all the times I was embarrassed by her, or frustrated with her."

"You couldn't have known. Most of the changes must have been so gradual you wouldn't have noticed."

"I should have."

"You were too close to see it."

They sat quietly for some time, and then—because she felt that if she didn't think about something else she would go crazy—she said, "I've been looking at grad schools."

"Anything interesting?"

"Yes, but some of the good programs aren't close."

"Gigi will be starting college by then, and I can do my job from anywhere."

She sat up straight so she could look him in the face. "You'd come with me?"

"Of course."

"What about your house in Princeton?"

"What about it? We would still use it when we came to visit, like at Christmas."

After a brief pause he said, "OK, I heard it that time. Most people don't have a house they only use for the holidays."

"No, but I suppose it would save the time of putting the decorations up and down, we could just dust them off every year."

Darcy looked so startled by the idea she almost laughed in spite of her worry. He said, "But the trees would _die_! Please don't tell me you prefer artificial Christmas trees."

"No, but how many Christmas trees do you put up?"

"Two, sometimes three. Is that a lot?"

"All real?"

"Yes."

"You decorate all of them?"

"Just the one in the family room."

She yawned, suddenly feeling drained. "I'm still not sure about grad-school."

"OK."

"It still depends on whether I'm needed at home."

"Of course."

.~.~.~.~.

By the time Mr. Bennet woke up, Lizi was asleep with her head on Darcy's lap.

Mr. Bennet sat up, "Oh, _you're_ here."

"Yes."

"If this goes badly, I'll hold you responsible."

"That's as logical as it is fair."

Mr. Bennet almost looked like he might smile. "Don't make the mistake of taking me to seriously. 'The only way to _cope_ with something _deadly serious_ is to try to treat it a little lightly.'"

"A Wrinkle in Time."

"Yes."

"I'm trying to learn to treat things a little lightly. I'm not very good at it," Darcy smiled at Lizi, "but I have a good teacher."

"Maybe that's why we never really hit it off."

"Could be."

"Lizi thinks I dislike you because you've done things for my family—things that I feel guilty for not having done myself."

There was no good way to reply to that comment, so Darcy kept silent.

"Are you sure you want to give her _more_ psychology classes? She'll be using those same insights on you."

"You say that as if she hasn't already. She has a gift. I'd like to see her using it. But it's her choice."

Mr. Bennet made no reply for some time. When he finally spoke, he said. "I guess it's only fair that if my wife recovers, I give you my blessing."

"I'd be glad to have it but just to be clear, your withholding your blessing won't get rid of me."

"What _would_ get rid of you? Just out of curiosity."

"Lizi asking me to leave."

"Hmm. You really do love her, don't you?"

"Yes."

"I have to give you credit for your good taste."

"Then we've found something we agree on. Perhaps we can build from there."

"I never got the impression it mattered much to you whether I liked you or not."

"It matters to Lizi."

"We could just tell her we had a long heart-to-heart and we're getting along swell."

"I think she's likely to see through that."

"Do you play golf?"

"No."

"Really? I thought your sort all played golf."

Darcy decided to ignore the _'_ your sort _'_ and said, "If you want to play golf with me, I'd be happy to learn."

"It might be one of the less painful ways to get to know each other."

"Yes."

"We'll see. Who knows if I'll even have time for golf in the near future—Janice may need me."

"Of course."

A volunteer came in to tell Mr. Bennet that his wife was out of surgery and the surgeon would be in to talk to them soon. Lizi woke, and Darcy said, "I'll leave you alone to talk to the doctor."

"You might as well stay," Mr. Bennet replied, "Whatever comes, we'll all have to face it together."

* * *

 _A/N:_

 _I wanted to try something different with Mrs. Bennet. In the original she's got plenty of faults but there's also good reason for her to worry about getting her daughters married. In some ways that makes her a difficult character to modernize because if you keep her personality without the social-economics of the time she's silly for no reason, which is always fun but I decided to try something different and give her a reason. The brain-tumor may be a little out there, it's mostly based on fictional-TV-brain tumors than much research._

 _As always,_ _Thanks to those who favorited, followed and reviewed and thanks to cactustactus for the edit. I really appreciate you all for giving this story a try and for your encouragement!  
_

 _Next up: Five Years Later_


	36. Five Years Later

_A/N: This chapter is about 2,500 words. It looks longer because I provide a sample from "Darcy Bites" at the end (just so you know)._

* * *

As Darcy turned onto Fischer Blvd, Lizi's phone beeped. She checked the message and said, "It's from Jane. Everyone has arrived safely."

Darcy nodded and visibly relaxed. He didn't stress about car accidents the way he once did, and he had accepted that they couldn't all drive together anymore (now that Chad and Jane had two boys and had bought their own shore house by the bay in Seaside Park), but he was still relieved to hear of everyone's safe arrival. He glanced at his watch. "Maybe we should go directly to the restaurant."

"No, we have time to catch our breath first. Besides I want to change." When he looked torn, she added, "I'm sure they won't start without us."

He smiled and agreed to stop at the house first. It was a Monday night so there wasn't a lot of traffic. When they got to the house, Lizi quickly changed into a new white sundress, took down her hair and freshened her make-up. She found Darcy standing on the balcony looking out over the ocean. He had changed into something more casual as well. His face lit up when he saw her. "You look beautiful."

Feeling almost giddy she twirled around so that the skirt flared out.

Darcy stepped toward her, took her hands in his and lifted them up to kiss. "We could just stay here."

"I think we'd disappoint a few people if we did."

He sighed, "I guess we better get over there, then."

When they arrived at Fitzgigi's, Darcy started to head directly for the stairs, but Lizi stopped him with a gentle touch and a nod toward the girl taking names. He adjusted his course and waited until the people ahead of them had been given their pager before saying, "We're Will Darcy and Dr. Lizi Bennet. I believe the rest of our party is on the roof."

Lizi shook her head and smiled indulgently at his mention of her new title. It was nice he was so proud of her. The girl's face broke into a huge grin. "Of course. Everything's ready for you. I'm glad you got such good weather."

Darcy said, "Thank you," but once they were out of earshot, he asked, "What does she mean _'_ everything's ready _'_?"

Lizi had to force herself not to laugh at the worry in his voice, "I suspect they couldn't resist a few decorations."

"Oh." He frowned.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." From the way Gigi and Kat had been giggling together over the last few weeks, and from some questions they had asked her, Lizi had suspected something of the sort. Kat and Gigi had turned out to be a good influence on each other. It helped that Kat didn't spend much time with Lydia since their sister had moved to New York.

"Right," Darcy replied, "How bad could it—"

They reached the roof and Darcy's question was answered before he could finish asking it. Every available surface on the roof had been covered in some combination of ribbon, tissue paper flowers, tulle, seashells, and candles. The effect of all this draped over the utility equipment on the roof defied description—but at least the candles weren't too close to the tissue paper. They had even erected an arch, covered in the same materials, presumably for Darcy and Lizi to stand under as they exchanged their vows. Lizi's father was standing nearby, watching for the couple's reaction with barely suppressed delight. Lizi was having trouble not laughing herself, but Kat and Gigi had such expectant, hopeful looks on their faces she forced herself to say, "This is… incredible. It must have taken you _forever_."

"I never would have imagined," Darcy added, "that the roof could look like this."

After that, there were hugs and squeals and the two of them were saved from having to say anything else. Lizi didn't dare to make eye contact with Darcy—let alone her father—for fear she would burst out laughing. Instead she forced herself to focus on how sweet it was that Kat and Gigi wanted to make the day special for them. Never mind that the whole point of getting married on the roof of Fitzgigi's was that everyone would be looking at the view of the _park_. Aside from Mother Emmy (Lizi's priest) it was only their immediate family that would see it anyway. When Darcy had suggested that Lizi's education was a better investment in their future than a fancy wedding would be, something had shifted for her. She still didn't like the idea of taking more from him, but she could understand his feelings. Not that she'd doubted him before but she'd been struck in a new way by how committed to the relationship he was and how sincerely he meant it when he spoke of investing in their future. When it came down to it, she didn't want to put off starting a family for too long either, and as things had turned out she was glad she had finished her education when she had. Even though the cost wasn't comparable, the idea of not spending money on their wedding made her feel a little better about it. Besides, Jane and Chad had had a grand enough wedding to satisfy anyone's taste for at least the next decade. She and Darcy had even discussed not having any guests, but they had quickly abandoned that idea. Their desire to keep things simple wasn't worth hurting anyone's feelings. Of course, Lizi's immediate family made for a crowd even with their being one person down, so it felt like there were more of them than there really were. They had decided they considered Rick and Brandon immediate family as well, making three on Darcy's side, but he had no desire to balance things by inviting anyone else.

Mother Emmy came up and hugged them both. "We can start whenever you're ready."

Lizi glanced around at the assembled guests. If only her mother were here… she turned to Jane, "Where's mom?"

"In the Ladies _'_ Room. She accidentally wore mascara that isn't waterproof. It could happen to anyone." They were always giving each other these little reassurances when their mother did something silly, which she did from time to time. But she had regular follow-up visits with her neurologist and so far there was no evidence of the tumor growing back. The first year after her surgery had been a long and difficult recovery, but by now she was mostly back to her old self.

"I'll get her."

In the Ladies _'_ Room, Lizi found her mother trying to wipe off the mascara that had run down her face. She must have been crying (hopefully out of happiness and not because of the roof).

"Oh Lizi! I'll ruin your wedding pictures!"

The only wedding pictures would be whatever any of their family snapped themselves. Lizi took the wet paper towel her mother was using and continued the job herself, she could see that her mother's hand was shaking, "The only thing that could ruin my wedding pictures would be if you weren't in them."

"Don't make me start crying again. I'm sorry Lydia couldn't be here."

"She said she couldn't get away." Lydia had only decided she "couldn't get away" after Lizi had told her there wouldn't be an open bar and she'd have a two drink limit. She had spent most of Jane's reception keeping Lydia from making too much of a spectacle of herself. She was torn between annoyance that her sister wouldn't come to her wedding if it wasn't a chance to party, and relief that she didn't have to deal with her.

She fixed her mother's make-up and put her own mascara on her. It was a nice moment between them. When her mother was ready she happened to glance at Lizi's feet. "Lizi, you're wearing _flip-flops_!"

"I know. Darcy likes them."

"Oh, well I suppose it doesn't do any harm. They probably won't even show in the photos."

Lizi felt a small twinge of guilt, Darcy hadn't said anything about liking her flip-flops, but she didn't want to argue with her now, just when she'd been feeling such tenderness toward her. Her mother would agree to anything if she thought it would please Darcy. She credited him with having saved her life, which to be fair, he probably had. Usually Lizi was more careful not to take advantage of it.

Her mother continued, "Did you see the roof?"

"Yes, it's… nice that they wanted to make things special for us."

"I'm sure they meant well. How did Darcy take it?"

"He managed to say enough to make them happy."

Her mother touched her face. "He really loves you. It's not the sort of love everyone finds."

"I know. I'm lucky."

"So is he."

Lizi gave her mother a big hug and they headed upstairs. The ceremony was simple and beautiful, and afterwards they all had dinner at Fitzgigi's and toasted the couple with champagne. Lizi lifted hers to her lips but didn't actually sip. When Darcy had drunk half of his he quietly switched glasses with her.

Her father had been deep in conversation with Mother Emmy about _Lucifer_ and _Dr. Who,_ but he noticed the switch and looked at Lizi sharply. "You're not drinking?"

"Lizi!" Her mother squealed, clapping her hands, "are you pregnant?"

So much for keeping it secret. "We weren't going to say anything until after the first trimester."

"Oh, people always think that's a good idea, but it isn't. If anything goes wrong—not that it will—but if it does, you won't feel better for no one else knowing. Better to share your joy and your grief." With a glance at Mother Emmy, she added, "And this way, we can all pray for you." Then she nodded at Mother Emmy, as if she were gaining some kind of points by mentioning prayer.

Her mother actually had a point. Anyway, there was no containing the news now. No one in the restaurant could have missed it.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy slipped out the door and up the steps to the balcony outside their bedroom. _Their_ bedroom, his and Lizi's—he had thought of it as theirs for a long time, but it still pleased him to have it be so officially. He hoped Lizi would come to truly think of his houses as her own now. She felt most comfortable in this one and he preferred it as well. He had so many memories here. They had discussed Lizi going into practice in this area and spending most of their time here now that they owned the whole house. With Chad and Jane owning their own shore house, and Karo having moved to France, the Bartley's had decided they didn't use their unit enough to be worth keeping. Lois and Herb had used it quite a bit but they were equally happy to stay with Chad and Jane.

Darcy sat breathing in the sea air, it was a warm, humid night and the main floor had started to feel more crowded than it actually was. Everyone had come back here after dinner, even those who were staying with Chad and Jane. This was the unanticipated result of not having a reception, everyone was acting as if this were the reception. Their nephews were up past their bedtime—their grandparents were encouraging them to get into every possible sort of mischief, and Rick and Mother Emmy were almost as bad as the grandparents. It was going to be hard to keep everyone from spoiling their baby. He had already caught Rick ordering a jumperoo and several toys to keep at his own house "for when the baby visits". It was nice that everyone was so happy for them, and he didn't want to damper their enthusiasm, but how had it become a tradition to spend a portion of one's wedding night with a bunch of other people?

He hadn't been up there long, when Lizi joined him. "Do you want to be alone?" He loved this about her, she always checked, she didn't just start talking. She didn't get tired out by people the way he did, but she understood.

"I was kind of hoping to be alone with _you_."

He reached out his hand. She took it and sat on his lap. "You might have increased the chances of that happening by letting me know."

"You found me, didn't you?"

"You know we're going to have to tell Lady Catherine about the baby. Now that everyone else knows." (They referred to his aunt this way when they were alone, because the resemblance was uncanny.)

"Rick and Brandon promised not to say anything."

"She might catch on. Rick just ordered a crib."

He sighed.

"She's going to find out sooner or later. It's better she hear it from us. If after all this time she still thinks I got pregnant to 'trap' you, that's her issue not ours."

"Let's not talk about her right now, OK?"

"OK. What would you like to talk about."

He pulled her close, "Absolutely nothing." He kissed her slowly, savoring the moment.

After some time had passed, Lizi said, "We shouldn't just disappear from our own party. We should say goodnight to Mother Emmy at least," but she showed no sign of pulling away.

"She'll be here all week and she's an introvert too, she'll understand. If we say goodnight, it will break up the party and spoil everyone's fun."

She laughed softly. "You have persuaded me, Mr. Darcy."

He smiled, "You haven't called me that in a long time."

"Would you like me to?"

It was silly but he couldn't resist saying, "You must only call me Mr. Darcy when you are completely, and perfectly, and incandescently happy."

Catching on, she asked with mock seriousness, "And how are you this evening, Mr. Darcy?" She covered his face with kisses, murmuring between each kiss, "Mr. Darcy… Mr. Darcy… Mr. Darcy… Mr. Darcy…" By the time she had finished, it no longer felt like they were being silly, and neither of them gave any more thought to their house full of guests.

.~.~.~.~.

Sherman walked up to Detective Jonas's desk, when she looked up he stuck out his hand and said, "Sherman Hughes, Private Eye."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I were, but never mind that. You're investigating John Wicks." He handed her a large folder. "This will help."

She opened the folder, glanced quickly at the contents and frowned. "What is all this?"

"Evidence. I've been following him for a long time. My employer has a personal interest in seeing him brought to justice."

She continued to look over the contents. Her expression was skeptical but she slowed down and was studying what he had given her more closely. "Who is your employer?"

"He'd rather I not say."

"Hmm."

"You can check it out for yourself if you don't believe me, everything's legally obtained—except for the stuff I flagged, and you can find that through legal channels once you know what you're looking for."

He didn't stay to try to convince her. He knew he had piqued her interest, and the evidence he had given her would speak for itself.

.~.~.~.~.

Darcy was awakened by the beep of his phone. There was a text message from Sherman saying, "GOT HIM!"

Darcy didn't have to ask what it meant. Ironically, John Wicks had given him the idea of having Sherman keep tabs on him when he asked if Darcy was stalking him. It had finally paid off. The world would be a little bit safer for his family and for everyone else. Lizi often told Darcy he didn't have to "fix everything" but she would understand his fixing this.

He sent Sherman a bonus, then turned off his phone, snuggled up next to Lizi, and went back to sleep.

Fin

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 _A/N: Sorry folks but it had to end sometime. I'm toying with the idea of writing a short story about Rick and Brandon but I don't know yet if it will come to anything._

 _Thank you all for reading, it's very encouraging to look at my views and see the number of people (all over the world) reading my story. Thank you to all who reviewed for the time you've taken to write reviews and all the feedback and encouragement you've given me. And a special thank you to_ _cactustactus for volunteering to edit the later chapters._

 _I know some of you have read "Darcy Bites" (Available on Amazon for purchase or for borrow with KOLL or KU) but for those of you who haven't here is a sample. Since at the end of "An Accidental Darcy" I give a sample of one of the higher action scenes I thought I'd give you one of the Neatherfield scenes this time._

* * *

Darcy Bites  
Pride and Prejudice with Fangs

Amy Elizabeth Davis

 _In a world where the existence of vampires is a truth universally acknowledged, most would be surprised to learn they had ever invited one to tea._

* * *

Chapter 7  
A Visit From Mrs. Bennet

Darcy stood looking out the window of the breakfast room where Mrs. Bennet and two more of her daughters had been shown after visiting her sick daughter. Mrs. Bennet was so vulgar and ridiculous that Darcy did not feel he owed her the compliment of rational debate. He would have left the room entirely, but Miss Elizabeth Bennet had made some amusing comments about poetry.

When Mrs. Bennet finally rose to leave, her youngest daughter, who had been rudely whispering with her sister throughout the visit—put herself forward. "Mr. Bingley, did you not promise to give a ball at Netherfield? It would be the most shameful thing in the world if you did not keep your promise!"

"I am perfectly ready, I assure you, to keep my engagement. When your sister is recovered, and Darcy can assure me it is safe to travel after dark, you shall if you please, name the very day of the ball."

Darcy replied, "I am afraid it is not that simple, Bingley. If the regiment and I are unable to discover any more feral vampires in the area, it does not follow that there are none. It is likely there is at least one other; while they normally hunt in pairs, they often live together in packs of three or more. With two of their number killed, any remaining are likely to have gone to ground, where it is probable they will remain until people stop following the present precautions."

"Miss Eliza," said Miss Bingley, "seems to be quite fond of walking alone. Perhaps she might lure the creature out for you, Mr. Darcy."

The lady in question looked sharply at Darcy. "Would that work?"

"Are you so fond of balls that you would put your life at risk in order to ensure one?"

"I was thinking not of the ball, Mr. Darcy, but of the safety of the neighborhood. The militia is only quartered here for the winter, and you are merely in the country for a visit. If we have more vampires, it would be better to root them out now while we are so well protected."

"I cannot find fault with your logic, Miss Bennet, but I am sure your father would never allow you to risk yourself in this way."

"Indeed not Lizzy," interjected Mrs. Bennet. "You know how unaccountably fond he is of you." She sighed. "It is a shame about the ball though. I'm sure it would lift everyone's spirits after the recent unpleasantness."

Disregarding her mother's comment, Miss Elizabeth Bennet addressed him again. "My father may very well prove difficult to convince, which is why I need to know if it is worth the effort. I ask you again, Mr. Darcy, would it work?"

Was she in earnest? Darcy studied her a moment before replying, "I must ask a question of you before I can form an opinion."

"Very well."

"When did you become aware of the vampires?"

Her brow furrowed in thought before she said, "I suppose it was when they started stalking me."

"Did you see them approaching you? Did you hear them?"

"No I… it was something else… something like seeing or hearing but… different … almost… almost as if I could feel… something evil."

Darcy forced himself to reply calmly, "Almost as if you had another sense? In some way like the other five but in another way not at all like any of these?"

"Yes!" She nodded excitedly. "Yes, that is exactly what it was like!"

As they talked, Darcy moved closer to her without being aware of it. He began to lift his hand as if he would reach out to her, but quickly caught himself and ran his hand through his own hair. "When feral vampires are hunting, they give off a… they give off something that some—very few—people can sense."

"Feral vampires? I have heard you use this term before. Why do you make this distinction?"

"Feral vampires are vampires who hunt by instinct, who drain all the blood from a human and kill it without thought or feeling. They are like wild creatures, worse than animals."

"Does this not describe all vampires?"

"No, there are many who keep their impulses under control and pass as humans. They drink the blood of animals, or of those who have agreed to give it, and take only what they must, never enough to kill."

"Then not all vampires are monsters?"

Her words surprised him but he answered calmly, "No, the ones that are not feral do not… I do not believe you would pick up this sense of evil from them. Have you ever… felt… anything like it before?"

"No, I..." She paused in thought. "Something like it, yes. Occasionally over the last month or so… perhaps a bit longer, but not so strongly, almost like a noise in the distance I was not quite sure I heard."

"That must have been when they were hunting the people we discovered at their feeding grounds. Have you felt anything like this since the two were destroyed?"

"No, nothing."

He nodded. "Neither have I. I also have this additional sense. It is how I was able to arrive on the scene so quickly when you were being pursued, and why I have been able to make as many kills as I have. But, like you, I can only sense them when they are hunting."

She took a step toward him. They were now standing as close as propriety would allow, looking intently into each other's faces. "And if there is a vampire… a feral vampire in the area; if I were to walk alone after dark again, do you think it likely it would hunt me and alert you to its presence?"

"I think it likely—highly likely—that such a creature would find you irresistible, Miss Bennet."

"Then it would work."

"It might. It could work, but it would be very dangerous for you, even with your skills and additional sense, and there could be more than one. I have encountered packs as large as twelve."

She shivered, but her determination did not falter. "But it could work. It would be our best chance."

"Yes."

"Darcy! Miss Bennet! You cannot be serious!" They both jumped at the sound of Bingley's voice. Darcy had almost forgotten there was anyone else in the room.

Bingley continued, "Miss Bennet, my sister was joking I am sure… she did not really mean… you cannot possibly be thinking of… after what we… Darcy, you must not allow this!"

"I have no authority over Miss Elizabeth Bennet, Bingley. I believe she is aware of the danger."

Bingley stared at Darcy and opened his mouth several times before turning to his sister. "Caroline, you must tell Miss Bennet you were not in earnest."

"I assure you, Miss Eliza, I had no thought of your volunteering for the task."

"Even when one speaks without thought, one may come upon a good idea now and then, no matter how unintentionally, Miss Bingley, but we must not upset your brother any further. Mr. Bingley, my father has not yet been applied to and unless he gives his permission there is no point in our debating the matter."

"Don't let Lizzy upset you, Mr. Bingley," added Mrs. Bennet. "She's talking nonsense. I'm afraid her father encourages her. Lizzy, you mustn't run on in the wild manner that you are suffered to do at home. Mr. Bingley won't know what to think of you. I can assure you, Mr. Bingley, that Mr. Bennet won't let Lizzy put herself at risk, even if he does have four more daughters, and he is not at all fond of balls."

Bingley did not look reassured, but he let the matter drop. Mrs. Bennet and her two youngest daughters took their leave and Miss Elizabeth Bennet returned to her sister. Darcy had expected Miss Bingley and Mrs. Hurst to start abusing the Miss Bennets' relations as soon as they were out of earshot, but the two of them looked at him strangely and were oddly quiet for several hours.

* * *

 _A longer sample is available on Amazon and of course my other fanfics on this site can be found by clicking on my name. Thank you for reading._


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